India vs Australia: 'Yorker King' T Natarajan to replace injured Umesh Yadav in Test squad

In the latest development, 'Yorker King' T Natarajan was included in India's Test squad for the remainder of their series against Australia as a replacement for an injured Umesh Yadav, the BCCI announced on Friday. Umesh Yadav picked up strain in his left calf muscle during the second Test at Melbourne following which he was forced to walk off the field. BCCI informed on Friday that both Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Shami were heading back to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for the rehabilitation of their injuries and confirmed that Umesh Yadav had been ruled out of the series. 

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T Natarajan, who was a net bowler for the Men in Blue in Down Under, earlier made his debut for India in the white-ball format, impressing selectors and fans. Natarajan earned the nickname 'Yorker King' after he made the batsmen dance on their toes during the recently concluded IPL. BCCI also informed on Friday that 'Hitman' Rohit Sharma had completed his quarantine and had joined the Indian team in Melbourne for practice. 

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Rohit Sharma joins squad in Melbourne

In a massive boost to the Indian team, Rohit Sharma joined the entire squad on Wednesday after ending his quarantine period in Sydney. Sharma's return to Team India will boost the entire squad's morale at a time when several key players have been ruled out of the Test series due to injuries including skipper Virat Kohli who has flown back home for the birth of his first child.  The entire squad jumped to welcome Rohit Sharma as he entered the hotel in Melbourne. Amongst those seen in the video shared by BCCI were KL Rahil, Ravindra Jadeja, T Natarajan, Jasprit Bumrah, Mayank Agarwal, skipper Ajinkya Rahane and coach Ravi Shastri. The coach was also seen having a friendly chat with the opener. 

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SCG gets nod to host 3rd Test 

Clearing the cloud of doubt over the occasion for the third Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy, Cricket Australia has confirmed that the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) will host the third Test of the series, as per the schedule. The rising number of COVID-19 cases had cast a doubt on the SCG playing the host for the annual pink Test, putting the national cricket board on high alert. However, officials have affirmed that the COVID-19 threat has subsided enough allowing the match at the SCG to proceed as per schedule. 

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