Virat Kohli is set to miss the remaining three Tests of the five-match home series against England after missing the first two owing to personal reasons. The development was confirmed when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the revised squad for the remaining fixtures.
Virat Kohli last donned the Indian jersey when he came out to play against Afghanistan in the T20I series in January this year.
A BCCI statement read, "Virat Kohli will remain unavailable for selection for the remainder of the series due to personal reasons. The Board fully respects and supports Mr. Kohli's decision."
The revised squad includes Sarfaraz Khan and Rajat Patidar who are likely to feature in the remainder of the series, while the participation of Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul will depend on their fitness, said the Indian cricket's governing body.
"The participation of Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul is subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI medical team," the BCCI statement further said.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Shami will continue to sit out after also missing the first two Tests due to injury. This has made way for Akash Deep in the squad.
The third Test between India and England is set to begin from February 15 in Rajkot, while the fourth Test will begin on February 23 in Ranchi. The final Test will be played in Dharamshala from March 7.
The Test series is finely poised at 1-1 after England won the first Test narrowly, and India made a strong comeback in the second to level the series. Following a 28-run loss in the Hyderabad Test, India won the second match at Vishakhapatnam by 106 runs.
Here is the squad in full: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), KS Bharat (WK), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep.
