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The BCCI has announced India’s 18-member squad for the upcoming 2024-25 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on Friday.
Mohammed Shami (left), Ruturaj Gaikwad and Arshdeep Singh (right). (Picture Credit: AFP, PTI, X/@BCCI)
India will travel to Australia next month to take part in a five-match Test series. The BCCI selectors announced India’s squad for the 2024-25 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on Friday (October 25). In the 18-member squad picked for the series Down Under, as many as 14 players who are currently engaged in the Test series against New Zealand have managed to retain their place, and three players who are yet to make Test debuts are added to the side in addition to a pacer who last played for India in January 2024 against South Africa in Cape Town.
While India has picked a very balanced squad for the Australia tour, there are still quite a few players who are unlucky to miss out on a place in the Indian team.
Here’s a look at five notable absentees from India’s Test squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy:
Mohammed Shami: Star pacer Shami has been out of action since November 19, 2024. The 34-year-old declared himself ready for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this week, but despite that, he was not picked in the 18-member squad. Shami has a good track record in Tests against Australia and has 44 wickets to his name in 12 matches, out of which 31 dismissals were on matches played in Australia.
Ruturaj Gaikwad: Ruturaj Gaikwad will lead the India A team in the two four-day matches against Australia A and one warm-up match against India. The 27-year-old Maharashtra batter, who is yet to make his Test debut, was in line to be picked up as India’s backup opener but was ignored for a place in the side, and instead Bengal batter Abhimanyu Easwaran was preferred over him.
Arshdeep Singh: Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, who finished as the joint-leading wicket-taker in the T20 World Cup 2024, was also in line to be part of India’s Test squad for the Australia tour, but instead of him, Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna were preferred by the team management to support the pacer trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Akash Deep.
Yash Dayal: Uttar Pradesh pacer Yash Dayal earned his maiden India Test call-up last month for a two-match Test series against Bangladesh but didn’t get a chance to play any matches. He was left out of the squad picked for the ongoing New Zealand series and now is not picked even in the reserves for the five-match Test tour of Australia.
Axar Patel: Axar Patel has done well in India in the limited opportunities he has got to play Test cricket, but despite that, Washington Sundar was preferred over him in the side first for the ongoing second Test against New Zealand and now for the Australia tour.
Apart from the above mentioned five players, the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Shreyas Iyer, Mayank Yadav, and Shardul Thakur, who were reportedly in contention for a place in the Test team, were not considered.
