Regular Indian captain Virat Kohli will miss the first Test against New Zealand this month as the hosts were eliminated from the two-match series on Friday.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a statement that Ajinkya will lead Rahane in the Tests to be held in Kanpur on November 25-29 and Kohli will return to lead the second and final tournament in Mumbai from December 3.
Opening batsman Rohit Sharma, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant and fast bowling duo Jaspreet Bumrah and Mohammad Shami - regular members of the Indian Test team - were also absent from the team.
Missing players, including Kohli, are expected to be rested, though the BCCI has not given any reason for their omission.
In Pant's absence, Riddhiman Saha is expected to provide wicketkeeping gloves for the hosts.
Seamer Trent Bolt and all-rounder Colin D'Grandhome also withdrew from the election due to the possibility of spending more time on bio-protected bubbles and managing isolation due to the Covid-19 epidemic.
The series will be the first in the longest format between the two teams since they met in the final of the inaugural World Test Championship in June, which New Zealand won.
Squad: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara (co-captain), Shubhaman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Riddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), KS Bharat (wicket-keeper), Rabindra Jadeja. Patel. Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Siraj, famous Krishna.
Kohli will lead the team in the second Test.
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