Tamil Nadu skipper Abhinav Mukund was the only surprise inclusion in the 15-man Indian squad that would play Bangladesh in a one-off Test in Hyderabad later this month. Mukund’s selection came on the back of strong domestic performances in the recently concluded Ranji Trophy, where he scored 849 runs in 10 games, averaging 65.30.
Parthiv Patel, though, failed to make the cut despite leading Gujarat to their maiden domestic championship, where he also impressed with the bat, amassing 763 in eight games at 58.69.
First-choice wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha made his way back into the side after missing out on the last three Tests against England in the five-match series, where Patel had replaced him.
Murali Vijay and KL Rahul, both of whom have struggled with injuries in recent times, have also been picked. Chennai Test triple-centurion Karun Nair and limted-overs specialist Hardik Pandya also found a place in the Virat Kohli-led side.
Squad
Virat Kohli (captain), KL Rahul, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha (Wicketkeeper), Ravinchandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Amit Mishra, Abhinav Mukund, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Karun Nair, Hardik Pandya