India today declared a 16-member squad led by Virat Kohli to take on Bangladesh in the historic one-off Test match to be played in Hyderabad from February 9.
Tamil Nadu opener Abihnav Mukund, who will lead India A team against the visiting Bangladesh team in the pre-Test two-day warm-up match on February 5-6, made a comeback to the Indian Test team as did fit-again wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha as the national selection committee headed by MSK Prasad picked the squad.
The warm-up match will be held at the Gymkhana Ground in Secunderabad which is a twin city of Hyderabad.
The selection of the Indian team sets at rest speculation that the selectors might pick a second string team in order to rest some of the big names ahead of the four-match Test series against Australia which will follow soon afterwards.
The significance of the occasion is not lost on Indian authorities who are trying to ensure a full Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, the venue of the Test.
Following is the 16-member Indian squad:
Virat Kohli (capt), Murli Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Karun Nair, Wriddhiman Saha (wicketkeeper), Ravichandran Aswin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Bhubaneshwar Kumar, Amit Mishra, Abihnav Mukund and Hardik Pandya.