Virat Kohli Rested For 1st Test Against New Zealand, Will Captain The 2nd; Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah Rested For Complete Series

Highlights:

• India’s test squad for the New Zealand series announced
• Kohli rested for 1st Test but will lead in the
• Rohit Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Rishabh Pant, Shardul Thakur and Jasprit Bumrah are not part of the two-Test series

Virat Kohli, who recently left the position of captain in the T20 format of team India, has been rested for the first Test against New Zealand in the 2-Test match series, however, will return to lead the team in the second, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Friday.

Rohit Sharma, who will lead team India in the T20I series against the Blackcaps, has been rested from the two-Test series along with Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Rishabh Pant and Shardul Thakur.

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In the absence of skipper Virat Kohli, vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane will lead the side in the opening Test which will be played at Green Park in Kanpur and begin on the 25^th of November.

In a release, BCCI said, “The All-India Senior Selection Committee has picked the squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand”.

Virat Kohli led India in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup has been rested for the three-match T20I series against New Zealand and will only make his return to lead Team India in the second Test which will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, starting on December 3.

The BCCI said, “Virat Kohli will join the squad for the second Test and will lead the team”.

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In the absence of some households named in Indian Cricket, a few new faces have been included in the Test squad for the New Zealand series. KS Bharat, who impressed the lot while playing in IPL for the RCB in the second leg of the cash-rich tournament in 2021, has been included.

Uncapped pacer Prasidh Krishna could also get a chance to make his Test debut, depending on the team composition.

The Test series will be a chance for the Indian team to avenge its defeat to New Zealand in the World Test Championships final in England earlier this year.

India squad: Ajinkya Rahane (Captain), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Wriddhiman Saha (wicketkeeper), KS Bharat (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

ICYMI: Here's India's squad for the 2⃣-match #INDvNZ Test series ?#TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/gQcaKa1YWS

— BCCI (@BCCI) November 12, 2021