AUS vs IND: Natarajan added to Test Squad, Rohit Sharma named vice-captain

T.Natarajan has been added to the Test squad for the remaining two Test matches against Australia after Umesh Yadav had been ruled out owing to an injury. Natarajan made his ODI and T20I debuts against Australia on the same tour, picking up two wickets in the final ODI and six wickets in the three match T20I series.

Earlier, Shardul Thakur had replaced injured Mohammed Shami in the squad before the second Test match in Melbourne.

“Umesh Yadav sustained a strain in his left calf muscle on Day 3 of the second Border-Gavaskar Test in Melbourne. The fast bowler will not recover completely ahead of the remaining two Test matches and has been ruled out of the series,” said BCCI Secretary Jay Shah in a media release.

“The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named T Natarajan as Yadav’s replacement. Ahead of the Boxing Day Test, Shardul Thakur was added to the Test squad as Mohd. Shami’s replacement after the senior fast bowler suffered a hairline fracture in his right forearm,” the release added.

Both, Umesh Yadav and Shami will head to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for their rehabilitation program. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma who joined the Test squad on December 30, has been named the vice captain. Sharma completed his 14-day quarantine in Sydney to join his team for the remaining two Tests.

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“There was never an iota of doubt about who will be India’s vice-captain once Virat takes a break and Ajinkya is elevated. It was always going to be Rohit and Pujara was just a stop-gap arrangement till the former joined the squad,” a senior official told PTI.

“Rohit has been India’s long-time white ball vice-captain, so it was only imperative that in Virat’s absence, he will be a part of the team’s leadership group,” the official added.

The Indian squad will be leaving for Sydney on January 5 to play the New Year’s Test . India leveled the Test series after their brilliant display in the Boxing Day Test match.

India Test squad: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Md. Siraj, Shardul Thakur, T Natarajan.