India Test squad for Australia Border-Gavaskar Trophy announced, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav left

On Friday, October 25, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad of the India National Cricket Team for the IND vs AUS Tests in Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.

India are the current holders of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as they beat the Aussies at home in the previous series. Also, the Indian team have won the Test series in Australia on last two tours in 2018-19 and 2020-21.

India Squad For Border-Gavaskar Trophy Named, 3 Uncapped Players Included

The India National Cricket Team squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy consists of three uncapped players Abhimanyu Easwaran, Harshit Rana, and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Talking about major omissions, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, and Axar Patel are not part of the Test squad. Shami is currently recovering from his injury while Kuldeep Yadav has suffered a groin issue which has ruled him out of the tour. Also, the star all-rounder Axar Patel has been dropped from the team.

"Kuldeep Yadav was unavailable for selection for the tour of Australia since he has been referred to The BCCI Centre of Excellence after the end of the ongoing Test series against New Zealand for long-term resolution of his chronic left groin issue," the BCCI said in an official media release.

India’s squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy:

Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.

Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed

Major Talking Points Of The Squad

The absence of the senior pacer Mohammed Shami, who has been out of action since the ODI World Cup 2023, is a major blow to the side as he has been one of the biggest match-winners for India in the overseas Tests.

Recently, there were reports of Shami being available for the second half of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after his recovery from the fresh knee setback, but now his selection looks highly doubtful with the inclusions of Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna in the setup. Also, pacers Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, and Khaleel Ahmed are kept in reserves.

Pace-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur is also no longer in contention despite his past heroics. His spot has been taken by the all-rounder Nitish Reddy. Also, the star domestic cricket performer Abhimanyu Easwaran has been selected as the backup opener, leaving no place for Ruturaj Gaikwad in the squad.

Talking about the Border-Gavaskar Trophy schedule, the first Test will start on November 22 in Perth. The next four matches will begin on December 6, 14, 26, and January 3 in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney.

India National Cricket Team is currently involved in a three-match Test series against the New Zealand National Cricket Team and the batters have been in really poor form.
The likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have not at all fired and would need to get back to form quickly, if India aim to complete a hat-trick of Test wins down under.