Kohli rested, Rahane to lead India in first Test against New Zealand

Ajinkya Rahane will lead India for the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur on November 25, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said on Friday.

Skipper Virat Kohli has been rested for the first Test; vice-captain Rohit Sharma has been rested for both the upcoming Tests. Bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami have been dropped from the squad.

“The All-India Senior Selection Committee has picked the squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand. Virat Kohli will join the squad for the second Test and will lead the team,” a BCCI release said.

The squad for the Tests includes: Rahane (Captain), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), KS Bharat (wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Virat Kohli, who will captain the second Test.

Also read: Bio-bubble fatigue: Now, BCCI and Dravid will take call on resting players

India were knocked out of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the UAE after they were defeated by Pakistan and New Zealand in their first two matches. India won the remaining three matches against Afghanistan, Scotland and Namibia, but were still unable to qualify for the semi-finals.

The World Cup was Kohli’s last stint as the skipper of India’s T20 team; Rohit Sharma will take over the captaincy from him.