The Indian cricket team is going to take on Australia in the much-awaited World Test Championship final at the Oval, England from June 7 to June 11.
Team India had announced their 15-member squad for the game, which included players like Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, and Umesh Yadav. However, there has been a major change in the squad recently with several players getting ruled out because of injury.
Meanwhile, in another change, Rajasthan Royals opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has been included in the Indian squad for the WTC squad final as a standby player.
Yashasvi will replace Ruturaj Gaikwad, who will not be traveling to England for World Test Championship Final due to his marriage. Gaikwad, along with Mukesh Kumar and Suryakumar Yadav, are the players on the standby list of Team India.
As per a report in The Indian Express, Gaikwad was initially added by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as a backup opener for the WTC Final, where India will take on Australia. When Gaikwad told the BCCI he could join the team after June 5, head coach Rahul Dravid immediately started looking for a substitute.
“He (Jaiswal) will be joining the Indian team as Gaikwad has informed us that he won’t be able to fly due to his marriage. He would be able to join the team post-June 5. (But) Coach Rahul Dravid took a call, asking the selectors to pick a replacement. So, Jaiswal will now fly to London soon,” a BCCI official told The Indian Express.
Talking about Jaiswal, the young opener has impressed one and all with his batting performances in the ongoing 2023 season of the Indian Premier League. He amassed 625 runs in 14 games, with an average of 48.08, which also includes one century and five double centuries.
Here is India’s squad for the WTC final:
Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ishan Kishan, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat
