Amid Failures In IND-NZ Series, Selectors Make 'Desperate' Call To Form BGT Squad Against Australia

Team India has recently announced the full squad for the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia while down under. The tour would be super-important for the Indian Cricket team since the WTC Final spot is on the line. After the latest setback at the hands of NZ, the Men in Blue need a top force to lock horns against the hosts. Sources have recently shared insights on how the India squad came to fruition, and how desperate measures were made in the team's selection.

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How Team India's Squad For The Border Gavaskar Trophy Came To Fruition? Know Details

Keeping the recent setbacks from the India -New Zealand series in mind, the BCCI selectors had to ensure that fully fit cricketers were made a part of the tour in Australia. While Mohammed Shami is not named for the series, the team needed a potent bowler to aid them. The selection of Harshit Rana was done for the same reason. Additionally, he was also backed by team head coach Gautam Gambhir since he is quicker than Navdeep Saini and Mukesh Kumar. Despite having no international exposure, Rana makes it to the main squad purely because of Gambhir's advocacy.

“Harshit Rana has been completely Gautam Gambhir's choice. He has been pushing his case for the longest time since the start of the Sri Lanka tour. He was also kept as a reserve bowler. Since he is younger and quicker than both Navdeep Saini and Mukesh Kumar, he has pipped them to the final squad," a BCCI source revealed to PTI on conditions of anonymity.

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One big name that India would miss out on is Hardik Pandya since the dynamic all-rounder has stopped competing in red-ball cricket. Sources add that since Pandya solely focuses on white-ball cricket and Dube not being great with the ball, the selectors made the call to include Nitish Kumar Reddy for the critical Australia tour.

“Hardik Pandya has stopped playing red-ball cricket, and Shivam Dube's (he is injured) bowling isn't up to the mark. Nitish is a work in progress, but if India are to bring in balance, they need their fourth seamer to be an all-rounder. Hence Nitish is a desperate choice going by his IPL and Bangladesh series performance,” the source added.

Team India’s Squad For The Border Gavaskar Trophy Series Against Australia:  Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli , KL Rahul , Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.

Travelling Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed