Jadeja returns for Australian series

New Dehli, The Gulf Observer: India has selected a 17 cricketers squad for the first two tests of a four-match series against Australia starting next month, with allrounder Ravindra Jadeja returning, but the hosts will be without fast bowling ace Jasprit Bumrah and star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant.

Jadeja, with 60 tests, hasn’t played any cricket since August after undergoing knee surgery and will be a welcome return for the hosts for the first test of the Border-Gavaskar series at Nagpur starting Feb. 9.

Bumrah — who has taken 32 wickets in his seven tests against Australia — has not yet recovered from a back injury and will undergo another month’s rehabilitation before being considered for selection for the final two Tests in Dharamsala and Ahmedabad in March.

Pant, with 2,271 runs in 33 tests, underwent surgery on Jan. 6 to repair a torn knee ligament and suffered further injuries to his head, back and leg, and is expected to remain in hospital for another week.

The absence of Bumrah and Pant has opened the door for white-ball star Suryakumar Yadav and wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan to potentially make their maiden test appearances.