Test specialists Hanuma Vihari and Ajinkya Rahane failed to make the cut for India’s red-ball squad for the Bangladesh tour. Rahane last played for India in January this year against South Africa as after a poor run on the tour he was dropped from the side. While Vihari was part of India’s XI for the rescheduled fifth Test match against England in July.
Chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma held a virtual press conference on Monday, where he announced a 16-member squad for the Test series in Bangladesh alongside other limited-over squads for future tours.
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Vihari scored 20 and 11 in the last match he played for India which was against England in Birmingham.
Sharma said that Hanuma’s name was discussed during the meeting but due to a packed middle-order he failed to make the cut but assured that he is still in the scheme of things.
“There were a lot of discussions about Hanuma. Our middle order at this time is packed, if you talk about the eleven with Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli (in the middle order), and Shubman Gill obviously is in the scheme of things. Hanuma is also in the scheme of things but sometimes you miss out," Sharma said in the virtual press conference.
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The legendary fast bowler pointed out that the selection committee picked the squad considering the conditions in Bangladesh.
“It’s not like there’s something wrong with this player but according to the combination, conditions and wickets in Bangladesh…the selectors spoke about it, this is your formation and you have to see who are the players who feature in the eleven. So that is the reason Hanuma missed out. He was there in the side and he’ll definitely come back very soon," he added.
The chairman of selectors further talked about the absence of Rahane from the Test side as he said that he still has to score more runs in domestic cricket to make a comeback in the side.
“The doors are always open for those who perform. Cheteshwar Pujara performed and he is there (in the team). Ajinkya Rahane is trying hard, and also scored some runs, but to return to the team he has to score more runs. And he knows that, he’s in constant touch with the selection committee. The Ranji Trophy is coming up and Vijay Hazare is also there. Let’s hope that he performs well, the doors are always open for those who perform. If you look at the middle order and how packed it is, even Hanuma Vihari doesn’t have a place. So to break into this, the kind of performance that is required, the selectors don’t have to tell Ajinkya about it. He understands that. He is a great player, played 90-odd Test matches and he knows how to get into the team," he said.
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