India's 12-member squad for Tests revealed; Surprises all

Team India named its 12-member squad for the upcoming Test series against Australia. The Test series will begin on Thursday in Adelaide.

 

Reportedly, KL Rahul and Murali Vijay will be opening the innings with Cheteshwar Pujara at number 3. The middle order comprises Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Rishabh Pant. Both Hanuma Vihari and Rohit Sharma have been included in the list out of which one will be drafted in the playing XI.

 

Ravichandran Ashwin will be the sole spinner in the team along with Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma to form a three-man pace attack. India's plan for bowling action, however, came as a shock to all, as Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were not considered.

 

People took to social media to express their concerns over the decision. A Twitter user wrote, "Exclusion of Bhuvneshwar Kumar from the 12-man shortlist is surprising! Given the perils of Indian batting in overseas conditions, he is a very handy lower order batsman. Not sure if Bumrah, Shami or Ishant can do that."

 

Following the heavy criticism, Captain Virat Kohli revealed that only one spinner was required to play in the seam-friendly conditions. He added that Ashwin was given a chance as he was a more experienced bowler despite his not so great performance in Australia.