India Reveals 18-Man Squad for Border-Gavaskar Test Series

India has selected Abhimanyu Easwaran, Harshit Rana, and Nitish Reddy in its 18-man squad for the highly-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Test series, kicking off on November 22 in Perth. However, Kuldeep Yadav is not part of the team, as he seeks long-term treatment for his chronic left groin issue at The BCCI Centre of Excellence, following the ongoing Test series against New Zealand.

The chosen team includes players like Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Washington Sundar. Plus, Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, and Khaleel Ahmed are reserved.

Recognized for his consistent form in domestic games, Easwaran manages to secure the third choice opener position along with Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Mohammed Shami's absence seems well-covered with plentiful options in the pace department, notably Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. 

Both Harshit Rana and Nitish Reddy, after impressing in the IPL, are now getting a test call-up. Additionally, a noteworthy selection is Washington Sundar, who is currently making a significant comeback after his debut on India's previous tour to Australia. However, Axar Patel remains absent from the selection.