MUMBAI (Gurpreet Singh): Star batter Virat Kohli has been included in India’s 15-member squad for the upcoming three-match One Day International series against England, with his participation dependent on achieving a full fitness clearance. The Board of Control for Cricket in India finalized the line-up on Sunday, naming opening batsman Shubman Gill as the captain to lead the white-ball contingent, while senior batsman Rohit Sharma also returns to the 50-over format. Kohli, who sat out India’s recent assignment against Afghanistan due to a hamstring injury sustained during the Indian Premier League, is scheduled to undergo a comprehensive evaluation by medical staff at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru on Monday.
The selection committee retained Shreyas Iyer as the vice-captain of the squad, while KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan have been designated as the primary wicketkeeping options for the English tour. The touring bowling department balances specialized spin and high-impact pace, featuring Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar alongside a returning Jasprit Bumrah, who headlines a fast-bowling unit that includes Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, and newcomer Gurnoor Brar. Young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy also maintained his place as the primary seam-bowling all-rounder. The highly anticipated three-match series against England will take place over six days next month, with fixtures scheduled at Edgbaston on July 14, Sophia Gardens on July 16, and concluding at Lord’s on July 19.
Simultaneously, the BCCI confirmed an updated squad for the preceding T20 International series against Ireland following an injury setback to spinner Varun Chakravarthy. The board announced that Chakravarthy has been officially ruled out of the Ireland tour as he reaches the final stages of his rehabilitation protocol for a left foot injury suffered during the domestic tournament. Rookie pacer Prince Yadav has been drafted into the T20I configuration to fill the vacancy. Shreyas Iyer will assume captaincy responsibilities for the shorter format in Ireland, supported by Tilak Varma as vice-captain, within an experimental line-up that also features young prospects Abhishek Sharma and teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
