Axar Patel fit for second Test vs England; Shahbaz Nadeem, Rahul Chahar drafted back to standby list

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday confirmed that all-rounder Axar Patel is available for selection for the second Test against India, to be played from February 13. Axar has recovered completely after complaining of pain in his left knee, which ruled him out of the first Test.  

As a result, spinners Shahbaz Nadeem and Rahul Chahar have been drafted back to the group of standby players. Nadeem was central to widespread criticism following a lacklustre show with the ball in the opening Test against England, where he managed to pick just four wickets while conceding more than 200 runs in both the innings. 

The group of standby players include wicket-keeper KS Bharat, batsmen Abhimanyu Easwaran and Priyank Panchal, and spinners Shahbaz Nadeem and Rahul Chahar.  

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BCCI statement on Axar Patel: 

"Axar Patel has recovered completely and is now available for selection for the 2nd Paytm Test in Chennai against England to be played from Saturday, 13th February. The all-rounder had complained of pain in his left knee and was ruled out of the first Test. The All-India Senior Selection Committee have now withdrawn Shahbaz Nadeem and Rahul Chahar from the main squad and added the duo back to the group of standby players." 

India Test squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (Vice-Captain), KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Md. Siraj, Shardul Thakur 

Standby players: K S Bharat, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shahbaz Nadeem, Rahul Chahar, Priyank Panchal 

Net Bowlers: Ankit Rajpoot, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Warrier, Krishnappa Gowtham, Saurabh Kumar