India vs Australia: R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav named in 13-man squad for Sydney Test, Ishant Sharma left out

Doubts over his fitness notwithstanding, India’s premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was included in the 13-member shortlist for the fourth Test against Australia, starting Thursday in Sydney. Ishant Sharma, meanwhile, has missed the cut for the final Test of the four-match series and Umesh Yadav, who played the second Test in Perth, has been included in his place. [caption id=“attachment_4877261” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Ravichandran Ashwin. AP[/caption] Another notable inclusion is that of KL Rahul, who, along with Mayank Agarwal, is likely to open the innings. Rahul, who was dropped for the third Test in Melbourne, is going through a wretched run of form, and his return has been facilitated by the absence of Rohit Sharma, who is flying home to meet his newborn daughter. This means that Hanuma Vihari, who impressed with his temperament as a stand-in opener in Melbourne, will go back to his middle-order slot. Kuldeep Yadav, the left-arm Chinaman, has also made it to the 13-man squad, and should Ashwin miss the bus, skipper Virat Kohli may be tempted to play Yadav alongside Ravindra Jadeja. The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) track is known to assist spinners, and India would be tempted to field two spinners and close the series on a high. Ashwin’s availability, though, remains uncertain. The off-spinner sustained a left-side abdominal strain during the first Test of the series in Adelaide and missed the next two Tests in Perth and Melbourne. He was, however, seen practising on Tuesday, but the BCCI said a final call on his availability will be taken on the morning of the match. “A decision on R Ashwin’s availability will be taken on the morning of the Test,” the board said in its release.

India name 13-man squad for SCG Test: Virat Kohli (C), A Rahane (VC), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, C Pujara, H Vihari, R Pant, R Jadeja, K Yadav, R Ashwin, M Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav

A decision on R Ashwin's availability will be taken on the morning of the Test #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/4Lji2FExU8

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 2, 2019

Earlier in the day, Kohli had hinted that Ashwin would not be available. “It’s unfortunate that he’s had two niggles that are quite similar in the last couple of away tours,” Kohli said. “It’s something he will focus on to correct. “The physio and trainer have spoken to him about what he has to do. “He’s very important for sure. In Test cricket, he’s a vital part of this team and we wanted him to be 100 percent fit for a longer period to that he can come back to us in the Test format. He is very disappointed that he’s not able to recover in time.” India squad for Sydney Test: KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, R Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav