India’s Bumrah earns maiden Test call-up

NEW DELHI: India’s national selectors on Monday handed a maiden Test spot to promising fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah in a 17-member squad for the upcoming tour of South Africa.
Bumrah, 23, was rewarded with a place in the Indian Test squad, ranked number one in the world, after taking 52 wickets from 28 one-day internationals. The bowler would boost India’s pace quartet of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav on seamer friendly tracks in South Africa.
“If you see his performance for the past 18 months he has been sensational. He has been outstanding in both one-day and Twenty20,” MSK Prasad, chairman of the senior selection committee, told reporters. “He was a unanimous choice, because he definitely adds variety to our pace attack. And considering the nature of wickets that they are (in South Africa), it will suit the nature of his bowling,” Prasad said.
India’s Test squad for South Africa: Virat Kohli (captain), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Parthiv Patel, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah.
India’s squad for T20 series against Sri Lanka: Rohit Sharma (captain), Lokesh Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Basil Thampi, Jaydev Unadkat.