India announce squad for WTC finals and England Tests: Ravindra Jadeja makes comeback, Prasidh Krishna-Avesh Khan in reserves

There is no room for Hardik Pandya or Bhuvaneshvar Kumar & Kuldeep Yadav in India's squad of 20 players, including two players - KL Rahul and Wriddhiman Saha - subject to "fitness clearance", for the final of the World Test Championship against New Zealand and the subsequent five-Test series against England. Pandya and Kuldeep and Bhuvi aren't among the four standby players either.

India will play the WTC final from June 18 to 22 in Southampton and the Test series against England from August 4, starting in Nottingham, to September 14, with the last Test scheduled for Manchester.

Virat Kohli's side is expected to leave for England on June 2, and keeping in mind the length of the tour as well as possible contingencies because of the Covid-19 pandemic, India are carrying a total of 24 players, their reserves' list containing Abhimanyu Easwaran, the opening batter, and three fast bowlers: Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan and Arzan Nagwaswalla.

Mohammed Shami, Ravindra Jadeja and Hanuma Vihari returned to the squad after missing the recent home Tests against England because of their respective injuries.

Vihari had pulled his hamstring in Sydney, which meant that like Jadeja, he took wasn't fit for the home Tests against England. Vihari played the Vijay Hazare Trophy but without much success - his 65 against Vidarbha being his only double-digit score in six innings for Andhra. He then went to England to play County cricket for Warwickshire, producing scores of 0 and 8 against Nottinghamshire, 32 and 52 against Essex and 8 and 0 against Durham.

Surprisingly, there was no place for youngster Prithvi Shaw in a squad already comprising three opening batsmen in Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal. KL Rahul has also been named part of the squad but his availability will depend on how he recovers following the surgery for acute appendicitis. Ever since he was sidelined from the Adelaide Test against Australia, Shaw has been in rollicking form, scoring over 800 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy - becoming the first batsman to do so - and then setting the IPL on fire, scoring 308 runs from eight matches with two half-centuries. 

Let's see The Team👇🏻

Sqaued. Virat Kohli Ajinkya Rahane Rohit Sharma J Bumrah M Shami M Siraj I Sharma KL Rahul S Gill Shardul Thakur Mayank Agarwal R ashwin R jadeja W Sunder A Patel U Yadav H Vihari C Pujara R Pant W Saha 

Standby player

A Eshwaran A Khan P Krishna Arzan Nagwaswalla