R Ashwin snubs Rohit-Virat, names this Indian batsman as crucial player in Pant’s absence

Snubbing both Team India captain Rohit Sharma and former skipper Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin picks Shreyas Iyer as a key player to watch out for in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar trophy against Australia. India all set to face a daunting challenge at home as Australia will push them with all guns blazing. The four-match test series will kickstart on February 9 in Nagpur.

India vs Australia Test series in Nagpur

Australia named a pretty strong squad to face India in the four-match test series and the home side is equally determined to prove their dominance to cement their place in the World Test Championship. Either KS Bharat or Ishan Kishan will make their Test debut filling in the big shoes of Rishabh Pant in the first Test in Nagpur.

India cricketer Rishabh Pant was severy injured after he met with a fatal car accident on the Delhi-Dehradun highway while returning back home to Roorkee from Delhi in December last year. He is undergoing treatment and will be missing from upcoming Test series against Australia. The wicketkeeper performed pretty brightly as India claimed the historic Test series on Australian soil back in 2020-21.

According to Ravichandran Ashwin, Iyer will be the man to keep an eye on in this upcoming India vs Australia series. “Shreyas Iyer has been India’s go-to Test batter alongside Rishabh Pant in the last couple of years. That in itself is a lesser compliment for him. He has been the backbone of this batting order. He is going to be a crucial player for India in Pant’s absence."

Iyer has been under strict rehabilitation since he complained of an injury prior to the New Zealand series last month. The 28-year-old has a blistering Test debut as he scored a century in his test debut against New Zealand in 2021 and followed up with a valiant 65 in the second innings. Providing a further update on the player's injury, Ashwin added, "He has a problem in his back and has taken an injection, it seems."

India’s Test squad for the first two Tests against Australia: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), R. Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Suryakumar Yadav.