India announce squad for first 2 Tests against England: Ishant, Pandya return in whites

On the day after registering a historic win at the Gabba against Australia, Team India have announced their squads for the first two Tests against England. The Test series which is set to begin from February 5, will witness the return of skipper Virat Kohli who had travelled back home after the first Test against Australia for the birth of his first child. The selection panel led by Chetan Sharma has also brought back veteran speedster Ishant Sharma, who had been ruled out of the Australia tour with an injury whereas Hardik Pandya will also don the whites despite having lost his father a few days ago. 

In the absence of Mohammad Shami and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, the Indian team has reposed its faith in young guns Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur, who've had an impressive Test series Down Under. In the spin department, Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar along with Kuldeep Yadav have retained their spots while Axar Patel has been called in to fill Ravindra Jadeja's shoes, who sustained an injury during the Australia tour. 

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The squad also includes KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah, both of whom sustained injuries down under. Moreover, KS Bharat, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shahbaz Nadeem and Rahul Chahar have been named four stand-byes who will be inducted into the squad in case of anyone from the main squad was to be replaced. 

Full Squad:  Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Wriddhiman Saha, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel

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England tour of India 2020/21

England will be visiting India for an all-format bilateral series that will go on for almost two months. The gruelling tour with the English cricket team comprises four Test matches, five T20Is, and three ODIs up until March 28. The five-match Test series will also constitute a major part of the ongoing inaugural ICC World Test Championship.

The tour kicks off with the first Test that will be played in Chennai's M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. Meanwhile, the entire bilateral series has been restricted to just three venues by the Sourav Ganguly-led BCCI committee. In an official statement by the Indian board, the decision for limited venues was made due to the coronavirus crisis that is prevailing in the country. The venues decided for the series are Chennai’s M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Ahmedabad’s Sardar Patel Stadium, and Pune’s Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.

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Here's the entire schedule of the 2-month long tour 

• Test series

1st Test:   5th-9th   Feb (Chennai)
2nd Test: 13th-17th Feb (Chennai)
3rd Test:  24th-28th Feb (Ahmedabad)
4th Test:   4th  8th Mar (Ahmedabad)

• T20I series

1st T20I: 12th  Mar (Ahmedabad)
2nd T20I: 14th Mar (Ahmedabad)
3rd T20I: 16th Mar (Ahmedabad)
4th T20I: 18th Mar (Ahmedabad)
5th T20I: 20th Mar (Ahmedabad)

• ODI series

1st ODI: 23rd Mar  (Pune)
2nd ODI: 26th Mar  (Pune)
3rd ODI: 28th Mar  (Pune)

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