Virat Kohli ruled out, Shreyas Iyer dropped as India announce squad for last 3 Tests vs England

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed on Saturday that senior batter Virat Kohli has been ruled out of the last three Tests of India's home series against England due to personal reasons.

The squad saw the return of both wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja but the BCCI said their participation was subject to fitness. But after contrasting reports of a back injury and concerns regarding his form, Shreyas Iyer was left out of the squad without any official explanation.

"Virat Kohli will remain unavailable for selection for the remainder of the series due to personal reasons. The Board fully respects and supports Mr. Kohli’s decision," the BCCI said.

"The participation of Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul is subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI medical team," the board added.

The selectors also dropped Avesh Khan from the squad, bringing in Bengal pacer Aakash Deep.

Shreyas underwent back surgery last year. Early morning on Friday, The Indian Express suggested that he'd likely miss the remaining games due to a relapse of back stiffness. However, other reports quoted officials saying that the Mumbaikar was going to be dropped because he hadn't managed any 50-plus scores in the series.

The BCCI had already brought in Rajat Patidar and Sarfaraz Khan for the series as covers for Kohli (who missed the first two Tests) and Rahul (who missed the second Test). Patidar made his debut in Vizag and would now likely retain his place. Sarfaraz could have a chance to come in for Iyer if Rahul isn't fit.

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India's full squad for final 3 Tests vs England

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.