NEW DELHI: India’s selectors took a cue from Pakistan on Thursday when they recalled leg-spinner Amit Mishra after four years for next month’s three-Test series in Sri Lanka.
Mishra, 32, who has taken 43 wickets in 13 matches, last played a Test at the Oval during the England tour in 2011.
But the success of Pakistani leg-spinner Yasir Shah during the recent series in Sri Lanka, where he claimed 24 wickets to lead his team to a 2-1 win, prompted the selectors to go with Mishra.
“Having seen how the Sri Lankan batsmen fared against Pakistan, our preference was for Mishra who has also done well in domestic cricket,” chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil told reporters in New Delhi.
Mishra will partner two off-spinners — Harbhajan Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin — in India’s first Test-series in the island nation since 2010, when the three-match series ended in a 1-1 draw.
Mishra replaces injured leg-spinner Karn Sharma.
India squad: Virat Kohli (captain), Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Ishant Sharma.