Umesh out as Natarajan joins India squad for third Test

UPDATE: India have confirmed Thangarasu Natarajan will replace Umesh Yadav in the Test squad for the remainder of the Vodafone Test Series.

Umesh picked up a left calf muscle strain on the third day of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. Scans confirmed he would not recover in time to play any further part in the series and has been ruled out.

Shardul Thakur had already been added to India's squad ahead of the Boxing Day Test to replace Mohammad Shami after he suffered a hairline fracture in his right forearm after being hit by a Pat Cummins thunderbolt.

Both Shami and Umesh will head to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for rehab ahead of India's Test series with England.

EARLIER: India could be boosted by the return of Rohit Sharma for the third Vodafone Test, but paceman Umesh Yadav has reportedly joined a host of star players in being ruled out for the rest of the series.

Yadav left the field midway through his fourth over in Australia's second innings in the second Test and it has been reported the right-armer is expected to miss the final two Tests due to a calf problem.

If Yadav's series is over as is being reported, he will join fellow injured quicks Ishant Sharma and Mohammad Shami on the sidelines as well as skipper Virat Kohli (paternity leave).

Apart from Jasprit Bumrah and Test rookie Mohammad Siraj, who were so impressive in Melbourne, uncapped quick Navdeep Saini is the only other fast bowler in India's official Test squad, although Thangarasu  Natarajan and Shardul Thakur – who played in the white-ball matches at the start of the tour – are also with the touring party along with 20-year-old Kartik Tyagi.

Left-armer Natarajan impressed in the limited-overs internationals but has played just 20 first-class matches, while Thakur is a seasoned campaigner with more than 200 first-class wickets to his name.

Thakur has also scored six first-class fifties, which would be appealing to Indian selectors if they are to persist with the same team set-up that won in Melbourne, featuring just five frontline batsmen.

While losing Yadav would be another blow to the tourists, the return of Rohit to the squad following his two-week quarantine has paved the way for him to return to the side for the third Test.

Rohit was reunited with his teammates in Melbourne on Wednesday and could replace out-of-form opener Mayank Agarwal at the top of the order.

"We will have a chat with him to see where he is placed physically because he has been in quarantine for the last couple of weeks," coach Ravi Shastri said of Rohit this week.

"We'll also see how he feels before we take the call."

Rohit was a late arrival for the tour after suffering a hamstring injury during the IPL.

There is also speculation in the Indian media that KL Rahul is in line for a recall, possibly in place of Hanuma Vihari.

Vodafone Test Series v India 2020-21

Australia Test squad: Tim Paine (c), Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner

India Test squad: Virat Kohli (c) (first Test only), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj

First Test: Australia won by eight wickets

Second Test: India won by eight wickets

Third Test: January 7-11, SCG, 10.30am AEDT

Fourth Test: January 15-19, Gabba, 11am AEDT