BCCI announces 13-man squad for SCG Test, final decision on Ashwin tomorrow

The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Wednesday announced the 13-man squad for the Sydney Test against Australia, starting January 3 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). The board will take a final call on Ravichandran Ashwin on the morning of the Test after the off-spinner was named in the squad. Earlier, it was reported that Ashwin could not recover in time and will miss out on the final Test. Ashwin, who missed the second and third Tests on account of an abdominal strain, had reportedly failed the fitness test. India has already won two tests after beating Australia by 137 runs in Melbourne last week. Australia must win in Sydney to prevent India claiming a first-ever Test series win.

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Virat Kohli on Wednesday said, “It’s unfortunate that he’s had two niggles that are quite similar in the last couple of away tours,” said Kohli during the pre-match press conference. “It’s something he will focus on to correct. The physio and trainer have spoken to him about what he has to do. He’s very important in Test cricket, he’s a vital part of the team. We need him to be 100 per cent fit. He’s very disappointed he hasn’t recovered in time.”

The Indian squad selected for the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) Test against Australia includes Virat Kohli (C), A Rahane (VC), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav.

A decision on R Ashwin's availability will be taken on the morning of the Test, BCCI Tweeted.

India name 13-man squad for SCG Test: Virat Kohli (C), A Rahane (VC), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, C Pujara, H Vihari, R Pant, R Jadeja, K Yadav, R Ashwin, M Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav

A decision on R Ashwin's availability will be taken on the morning of the Test #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/4Lji2FExU8

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 2, 2019

Umesh Yadav has also been named in the 13, taking the place of Ishant Sharma for the final Test. Ishant played all three Tests and took 11 wickets. KL Rahul, who was dropped for the MCG Test that India won has also been named in the squad.

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Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who played in Melbourne claiming five wickets, has retained his place in the Indian side for the final Test.