India welcome back captain Virat Kohli for the Test series against England in February after he missed much of the series win in Australia to be at birth of his first child; Jasprit Bumrah, Ravichandran Ashwin and Hardik Pandya also return to the squad
Tuesday 19 January 2021 15:30, UK
Virat Kohli will return to captain India in next month's Test series against England, leading a squad fresh from a stunning series win in Australia.
Kohli was watching from home as his side completed a remarkable series win in Brisbane, having left the tour after one Test to be present for the birth of his first child.
India suffered a host of injuries Down Under, but saw star-making turns from the likes of Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj as they became the first team in 33 years to win at The Gabba.
All three retain their places in an 18-man squad for the first two Tests of the four-match England series, having started the winter well down the pecking order, with Kohli resuming leadership duties from Ajinkya Rahane.
India are further strengthened by the return of all-rounder Hardik Pandya, while Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin are included having picked up injuries mid-series in Australia.
Mohammad Shami (broken arm) and Umesh Yadav (calf) remain on the sidelines.
India squad for first two Tests against England: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Rishabh Pant, Wriddhiman Saha, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel.
