Rishabh Pant returns to India's test squad for Bangladesh series, uncapped Dayal also called up

Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant returned to the Indian test team for the first time in nearly two years after BCCI announced a 16-member squad for the first of the two tests against Bangladesh.

Pant was involved in a near-fatal crash in December 2022 that required him to have multiple surgeries; but after a long road to recovery, he returned to action and even made the squad for their victorious T20 World Cup campaign earlier this year.

Pant, whose last test appearance was also against Bangladesh in December 2022, has been called up alongside wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel, while uncapped left-arm seamer Yash Dayal has also been included.

The two-test series kicks off India's home season for 2024-25, with the first test from September 19 in Chennai and the second from September 27 in Kanpur.

India are also set to play three T20 matches against Bangladesh.

India Squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal