The team had no place for left-handed opener Gautam Gambhir, who had forced his way back into the Test team after some solid knocks in the domestic circuit.
Prasad said Gambhir’s name was discussed but “we needed continuity and we groomed Mandeep as an opener. He did extremely well against Australia A Down Under.”
The selection committee chief said that the trio of Ashwin, Shami and Jadeja was rested keeping in mind the long home season that awaits India, during the side is scheduled to play 13 Test matches. All three are regulars in India’s Test squad.
The first match of the series will be held at Dharamsala (October 16), followed by games in Delhi (October 20), Mohali (October 23), Ranchi (October 26), and Visakhapatnam (October 29).
India Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni(Capt), Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Manish Pandey, Suresh Raina, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Amit Mishra, Jasprit Bumrah, Dhawal Kulkarni, Umesh Yadav, Mandeep Singh, Kedar Jadhav.
(Sourced from agencies, feature image courtesy:oneindia.com)
