Jadeja, Vihari back as no surprises in India's squad for WTC final and England series
New Delhi: The fit-again duo of all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and batsman Hanuma Vihari returned to a 20-strong Indian squad announced on Friday for next month's World Test Championship final against New Zealand and a five-match series against England.
The selectors also picked four standby players -- Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, and Arzan Nagwaswalla, the BCCI stated in a press release.
K L Rahul, who underwent a surgery after being diagnosed with appendicitis, and Wriddhiman Saha, infected with COVID-19 during the recently-suspended IPL, have been included subject to their fitness.
Both Jadeja and Vihari had endured injuries during the away series against Australia earlier this year.
Out-of-form spinner Kuldeep Yadav and pacer Navdeep Saini have been left out of the squad, which is expected to depart for England for the twin assignments in the third week of this month.
The WTC final against the Black Caps will be held from June 18 in Southampton followed by the Tests against England from August 4.
The Test series against England will start in Nottingham, followed by matches at the Lord's (August 12 to 16), Leeds (August 25 to 29), The Oval (September 2 to 6) and Manchester (September 10 to 14).
India's squad:
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (Captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul (subject to fitness clearance), Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper; subject to fitness clearance).
Standby players: Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Arzan Nagwaswalla.
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Kunal Kamra shares screenshot of 'Bigg Boss' offer, says 'much rather check into mental hospital'
New Delhi: Comedian Kunal Kamra says he was approached to feature on the upcoming season of the popular reality series Bigg Boss, an offer he turned down.
The comic on his Instagram Story on Tuesday shared a screenshot of his purported WhatsApp conversation with someone who claimed to be "handling the casting for this season of Bigg Boss".
According to the screenshot shared by Kamra, the casting professional said the comic's name came up as someone they might find interesting.
"I know it might not have been on your radar, but honestly, it's such a mad platform to show your real vibe and win over a massive audience. What do you think? Should we talk about it?" the person wrote in the text.
In his response, the comedian said: "I would much rather check into a mental hospital..." It's unclear whether Kamra, who is facing multiple FIRs for his comments, was offered the 19th season of Bigg Boss or the season four of its OTT version.
In 2023, there were reports that Kamra was in talks to join Bigg Boss OTT 2.
The comedian, known for his anti-establishment views, is embroiled in a controversy over his 'traitor' jibe against Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in his latest stand-up show "Naya Bharat" which premiered on his YouTube channel last month.
On Monday, Kamra wrote an open letter online ticketing platform BookMyShow requesting it to either not delist him or to hand over the contact information of audience members he has earned through his solo shows over the years.
Earlier this week, the comedian also moved the Bombay High Court, seeking to quash an FIR lodged against him by the city police for his alleged remarks against Shinde, with the Madras High Court extending his interim anticipatory bail in relation to the case till April 17.
Kamra also claimed he has been receiving death threats after the show and hence, requested the police to question him via video conference.
