Mumbai (PTI): Shubman Gill was on Saturday appointed India's new Test captain while Rishabh Pant was named his deputy, starting with the five-match series in England.

The selectors decision on the team's leadership was on expected lines following the retirement of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Young left-hander B Sai Sudharsan earned his maiden Test call-up.

The squad also features Karun Nair, who returns to the national set up up after seven years. A notable exclusion was pacer Mohammed Shami, who was deemed not fit enough for the long series.

"Last year or so we have looked at Shubman (for leadership). We are hopeful he is the guy who is going (to take the team forward). It is a high pressure job but he is a terrific player. We wish him all the best," said chief selector Ajit Agarkar after announcing the squad.

On Shami, he added: "His workload is not where it needs to be. We were hoping he will be available but it is unfortunate. At the moment he is not dully fit. From tour of Australia, Harshit Rana and Sarfaraz Khan have been dropped.

Squad: Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal, K L Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun nair, Nitish Redddy, Ravindra Kadeja, Dhurv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep singh and Kuldeep Yadav.

 

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Bengaluru (PTI): A complaint has been lodged against a city-based dermatologist for allegedly spreading misinformation about Nandini milk products on social media and misleading the public, police said on Thursday.

The complaint was lodged by Padmavathi R, an officer of the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF), which owns the popular Nandini brand, seeking legal action against Dr Sharanya Padma.

In her complaint, Padmavathi stated that Padma had uploaded reels on February 8 claiming that "Nandini products such as cream bun, strawberry-flavoured milk and other beverages are toxic and contain chemicals, and consuming them daily could lead to autoimmune diseases and serious health issues. Long-term consumption will definitely result in cancer in the future."

According to the complaint, the doctor also alleged that strawberry-flavoured milk "does not contain natural strawberries but is prepared by adding artificial colours and preservatives," and questioned how the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had granted permission for the manufacture of such products.

She further claimed in the reel that consuming these products would damage health and that KMF, being a government company, was producing and marketing them for profit.

The complaint quoted her as stating that "these products are not real food but poisonous in nature and KMF should not release such products into the market."

Padmavathi stated that baseless allegations about certain Nandini brand products were being made on social media and that such "false propaganda" had created unnecessary confusion among crores of consumers who had grown up with the brand since childhood.

In a press release issued on February 18, KMF clarified that it strictly adheres to all food safety standards and approved procedures prescribed by statutory authorities and FSSAI. It assured that all Nandini milk and milk products are completely safe for consumption and that consumers need not panic.

The Federation also "strongly condemned such baseless, misleading and brand-defaming statements" and said it was committed to taking legal action against those involved in such malicious acts.

Based on the complaint, police are examining the matter and further action is likely in accordance with law.

There was no immediate reaction from Dr Padma.