NEW DELHI: Captain Virat Kohli will take part in India’s squad for next month’s first two Tests against England, the BCCI said on Tuesday, after he missed three recent matches against Australia to attend the birth of his first child.

All-rounder Hardik Pandya, who has been working on his bowling fitness, and K.L. Rahul, who had been ruled out of the third and fourth Tests in Australia with a sprained wrist, will also return to the squad.

Left-arm spinner Axar Patel received his maiden Test call-out, while all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, an integral part of India’s squad, was left out due to a thumb injury.

The opening Test begins on Feb 5 in Chennai.

The second Test will also be held in the eastern Indian city, with the final two slated for Ahmedabad. The Tests will be followed by five T20 matches and three ODIs.

Ahmedabad will remain host for the T20 games, while Pune will host the ODIs.

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

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2021