Virat Kohli rested for first Test against New Zealand; Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah rested for series

Kanpur : Virat Kohli has been rested for the first Test match against New Zealand but he will return to lead the team in the second game, BCCI announced on Friday. Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah have been rested for the whole Test match series against the blackcaps.

In the absence of Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane will be given a chance to lead Team India in the first game against New Zealand, which will be played in Green Park, Kanpur from November 26 to 29.

"The All-India Senior Selection Committee has picked the squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand," the BCCI said in a media release.

Virat Kohli stepped down as the captain of Team India T20I after India's T20I world cup exit. "Virat Kohli will join the squad for the second Test and will lead the team," the Indian board added.

Some new names have been included in the Indian squad. KS Bharat, who impressed for the RCB in the second leg of IPL 2021, has been included. Uncapped pacer Prasidh Krishna could also get a chance to make his Test debut, depending on the team composition.

India squad: Ajinkya Rahane (Captain), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Wriddhiman Saha (wicketkeeper), KS Bharat (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna