• India axe Pujara, Rahane

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    Senior batsmen Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara were dropped from India’s Test squad for the upcoming Sri Lanka series.

    Rohit Sharma, now captain across all three formats, will lead the 18-man squad and pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah will be his deputy for the two Tests starting on 4 March in Mohali.

    Both Pujara and Rahane have struggled with the bat and were told to get back to India’s premier domestic red-ball competition – the Ranji Trophy tournament – to regain lost form.

    Wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha and veteran fast bowler Ishant Sharma also got the axe.

    Bowling all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja returns to the team alongside his spin partner Ravichandran Ashwin, who has been picked subject to getting fit ahead of the Test.

    The second Test, which will be a day-night game, will be played in Bangalore starting on 12 March.

    Former captain Virat Kohli and wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant will be rested for the final T20I against the West Indies and the T20I series against Sri Lanka starting on Thursday.

    Pace bowler Shardul Thakur will play the West Indies T20I on Sunday and will then be given a break for the entire Sri Lanka series.

    Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav was recalled to the Test squad after making his way into the white-ball team.

    Rohit’s India whitewashed the West Indies 3-0 in the ODI series and have already clinched the T20I series with an unassailable 2-0 lead.

    India Test squad – Rohit Sharma (c), Priyank Panchal, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Shubhman Gill, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharath, Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Sourabh Kumar, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Mohd. Shami, Jasprit Bumrah (v-c).

    India T20I squad – Rohit Sharma (c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Surya Kumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, R. Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Jasprit Bumrah (v-c), Avesh Khan.

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    © Agence France-Presse

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    Simon Borchardt