Kohli, Pandya return for England Tests
Fit-again Ishant also included in the 18-man squad for first two games
NEWŇ DELHI:Ň Virat Kohli returned to lead India against England in the upcoming home Test series while the selectors also recalled all-rounder Hardik Pandya and Ishant Sharma to bolster the squad, announced by the BCCI on Tuesday.
Kohli, who headed back to India on a paternity leave after the Adelaide Test, was named in the 18-man squad along with Jasprit Bumrah, who missed the final Test in Brisbane against Australia due to an abdominal strain. The squad was named only for the first two Tests of the four-match series, starting on February 5 in Chennai.
Ishant had missed the Australia tour due to the side strain he suffered during the IPL in the UAE while Pandya only played the ODIS and T20IS Down Under. Tamil Nadu paceman T Natarajan was dropped as the selection panel added Axar Patel, a left-arm spinner and useful batsman down the order, to the squad as he would be more effective to counter England on Indian pitches. The 26-year-old Patel is yet to make his Test debut while he last played for India in T20s in February 2018 against South Africa. He has also played 38 ODI matches. He is an apt replacement for Ravindra Jadeja.
Expectedly, the selection panel retained youngster Shubhman Gill and Washington Sundar, rewarding for their excellent performance in Australia. Pacer Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur, whose allround ability helped India in Brisbane, also kept their places along with Mayank Agarwal. Prithvi Shaw, who lost his place in the squad after the first Test, was dropped.
The second Test will also be played in Chennai (February 13-17) while Ahmedabad will host the third (February 24-28) and fourth Test (March 4-8).
The four-test series will be followed by a five-match T20I series and three-match ODI rubber that will conclude on March 28 in Pune. KS Bharat, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shahbaz Nadeem, Rahul Chahar and Priyank Panchal have been named as standby players. Theňsquad:ňvirat Kohli (C),
Rohit Sharma, Shubhman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Mayank Agarwal, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Wriddhiman
Saha, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel
Mumbai record first win in Mushtaq Ali Trophy
MUMBAI:ŇAN 87-run stand for the fifth wicket between Sarfaraz Khan and Shivam Dube guided Mumbai to a five-wicket win over Andhra in their last Group E game of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday.
They came together at 64 for four but they made sure Mumbai didn’t suffer another collapse to help them record their first win of the tourney chasing the target of 155 with seven balls to spare. Sarfaraz scored 30-ball 53 which included six fours and two sixes while Dube was not out on 44 which came of 27 balls and included three fours and two sixes. Briefňscores:ňandhraň154/8 in 20 overs (Ricky Bhui 78; Prathamesh Dake 3/23) lost to
in 18.5 overs (Safaraz Khan 53, Shivam Dube 44*) by five wickets