The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on August 9 named left-arm spinner Axar Patel as a replacement for Ravindra Jadeja, who is facing a one match ban, in the India squad for the third and final Test against Sri Lanka, starting at Pallekele on August 12. Team India is leading the three match series 2-0.
Jadeja, who recently crowned No.1 Test all-rounder by the ICC following his performance in the recent games, was handed one-match ban for throwing a ball towards a batsman during the second Test match against Sri Lanka in Colombo which the visitors won by an innings and 53 runs to clinch the series.
The incident happened during the 58th over of Sri Lankan second innings when Ravindra Jadeja was bowling to Malinda Pushpakumara who came in at number three on the third day as a night watchman. The batsman played a defensive shot while Jadeja fielded his own bowling and threw back towards batting end. However, Pushpakumara dodged the ball safely while Wriddhiman Saha managed to stop it which came like a tracing bullet.
“The All-India Senior Selection Committee on Tuesday named Axar Patel as a replacement for Ravindra Jadeja in the team for the third Test, which starts from August 12 at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium,” the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced.
Axar, who is set to make his Test debut, is currently with the India A team for a tri-series in South Africa which they won.
India A rout South Arica A to clinch tri-series. Shreyas Iyer anchors the chase with an unbeaten 140 off 131 ballshttps://t.co/dbKroSLtls pic.twitter.com/80c6ZjYMb4
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 9, 2017
Team for third Test: Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (Vice Captain), Rohit Sharma, R. Ashwin, Axar Patel, W. Saha (wk), Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, M. Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Abhinav Mukund.
