The only new face in the 17-man squad is Bengal speedster Akash Deep, who was superb in the recent India A vs England Lions Test series.
Virat Kohli will remain unavailable for selection for the remainder of the series due to personal reasons, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Saturday while naming the squad for the 3rd Test in Rajkot, starting February 15.
'The Board fully respects and supports Mr. Kohli’s decision,' BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in the statement.
The 35-year-old former captain, who has scored nearly 9,000 runs in 113 Tests, will miss an entire home series for the first time in his career.
KL Rahul and Ravindra have been included in the squad but the BCCI stated that 'the participation of Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul is subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI medical team'.
Jadeja had injured his hamstring while Rahul had slight right quadricep niggle.
Shreyas Iyer has also been ruled as he is reportedly injured. He complained of a stiff back pain and a groin injury during the 2nd Test. However, his medical update has not been provided by the BCCI. On Day 1 of the 2nd Test in Vizag, he was tended to by the physio while batting.
The only new face in the 17-man squad is Bengal speedster Akash Deep, who has been rewarded for his consistent show in first-class cricket and in recent India A vs England Lions Test series.
Left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar has been released with Jadeja coming back while Mohammed Siraj is back in the squad in place of Avesh Khan.
The series is locked 1-1 with India bouncing back with win the second Test in Vizag after the visitors took the series-opener in Hyderabad.
The third match is scheduled to start from February 15 in Rajkot.
Squad: 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
