The Indian cricket board announced a 16-member squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand, which will be played in November and December.
Virat Kohli was rested for the opening encounter as Ajinkya Rahane will lead the side in his absence. Meanwhile, Cheteshwar Pujara was elevated to the vice-captain role in the opening clash, which also saw KS Bharat, Jayant Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, and Shreyas Iyer making the cut in the red-ball format.
However, the announcement left the fans puzzled as many were left wondering about the reason behind Hanuma Vihari's absence from the 16-member squad. Here are a few reactions:
India's Test squad for the upcoming series against New Zealand: A Rahane (C), C Pujara (VC), KL Rahul, M Agarwal, S Gill, S Iyer, W Saha (WK), KS Bharat (WK), R Jadeja, R Ashwin, A Patel, J Yadav, I Sharma, U Yadav, Md Siraj, P Krishna (Virat Kohli has been rested for the opening encounter):
{{/usCountry}}India's Test squad for the upcoming series against New Zealand: A Rahane (C), C Pujara (VC), KL Rahul, M Agarwal, S Gill, S Iyer, W Saha (WK), KS Bharat (WK), R Jadeja, R Ashwin, A Patel, J Yadav, I Sharma, U Yadav, Md Siraj, P Krishna (Virat Kohli has been rested for the opening encounter):
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