Manu Tuilagi will miss England's three-Test tour of Australia after undergoing a knee operation, it was revealed on Thursday.

His club side, Sale Sharks, indicated the decision to opt for surgery was taken with the plan that it should put Tuilagi in a strong place ahead of next year's Rugby World Cup.

The injury-plagued centre missed the Six Nations this year and has featured only sporadically during Eddie Jones' tenure as head coach.

Jones recently said that Tuilagi "really wants to make an imprint on this Australian tour", but that plan will have to be shelved.

An automatic pick in the England side if fit, Jones must hope the surgery clears up the 31-year-old's latest problem.

Sale said in a statement: "Sale Sharks can confirm that Manu Tuilagi has undergone a routine procedure on his knee which will rule the 31-year-old out of this summer’s England tour to Australia.

"The club, in close consultation with England Rugby, have decided that a summer of rest and a full pre-season is the best course of action to ensure Manu is fit and available for Sale Sharks and England during a crucial year for both club and country.

"Everyone at the club wishes Manu all the best for his recovery and looks forward to seeing him at Carrington [the club's training base] for the start of pre-season."

England face the Barbarians at Twickenham on June 19 before travelling to Australia for Tests on July 2 in Perth, July 9 in Brisbane and July 16 in Sydney.

The 2023 Rugby World Cup takes place in France from September to October next year.

Manu Tuilagi will miss England's three-Test tour of Australia after undergoing a knee operation, it was revealed on Thursday.

His club side, Sale Sharks, indicated the decision to opt for surgery was taken with the plan that it should put Tuilagi in a strong place ahead of next year's Rugby World Cup.

The injury-plagued centre missed the Six Nations this year and has featured only sporadically during Eddie Jones' tenure as head coach.

Jones recently said that Tuilagi "really wants to make an imprint on this Australian tour", but that plan will have to be shelved.

An automatic pick in the England side if fit, Jones must hope the surgery clears up the 31-year-old's latest problem.

Sale said in a statement: "Sale Sharks can confirm that Manu Tuilagi has undergone a routine procedure on his knee which will rule the 31-year-old out of this summer’s England tour to Australia.

"The club, in close consultation with England Rugby, have decided that a summer of rest and a full pre-season is the best course of action to ensure Manu is fit and available for Sale Sharks and England during a crucial year for both club and country.

"Everyone at the club wishes Manu all the best for his recovery and looks forward to seeing him at Carrington [the club's training base] for the start of pre-season."

England face the Barbarians at Twickenham on June 19 before travelling to Australia for Tests on July 2 in Perth, July 9 in Brisbane and July 16 in Sydney.

The 2023 Rugby World Cup takes place in France from September to October next year.

Jordan Pickford has revealed England's defeats in the 2018 World Cup semi-final and Euro 2020 final have provided added motivation ahead of Qatar 2022.

Everton goalkeeper Pickford has been a key man in the most successful England team since becoming world champions in 1966.

But tournament glory has still evaded the Three Lions, who let early leads slip to Croatia in the last four in Russia and Italy in last year's Wembley decider.

The penalty shoot-out loss in the Euros final was particularly painful in front of a home crowd, yet Pickford is confident that experience can benefit Gareth Southgate's side.

"Yes," Pickford replied when asked if England can win the World Cup this year.

"Obviously it is going to be challenging against the best teams in the world, but it is about us having belief in ourselves.

"We've come so far and had the disappointment in the World Cup semi-final and Euro final – that disappointment drives us. The disappointment is getting so close and losing, getting to the final and losing.

"We are proud of what we achieved, but when you get that close, it gives you that added extra confidence to go and win the World Cup."

Pickford was the only England player to play every minute of their Euros campaign, just as he had been at the World Cup, but he faces fierce competition for his place in Qatar in November.

Rival Aaron Ramsdale impressed many onlookers in his first season at Arsenal – including Pickford.

"Rams has had a really good season – first season at Arsenal, and he's been unbelievable," the former Sunderland man said.

"But for me, it's always concentrating on yourself as well. I know I've got to be at my best every day in training, because you're always going to have that competition, for England and at club level as well.

"You've always got to keep pushing yourself and keep setting yourself targets and become better and get better.

"You want other people playing well, you want other people pushing, so I think when we're training together, we're pushing each other every day to get better and better.

"When you've got three lads, pushing each other to be the best, it sets you up to do well."

New Zealand paceman Tim Southee says England "won't die wondering" under his former team-mate Brendon McCullum.

McCullum was this month appointed as England Test head coach on a four-year deal.

It will be the ex-Black Caps captain's first international coaching role and he has been charged with the task of turning around the fortunes of a side in poor form.

England are bottom of the World Test Championship and have not won any of their past five series, a dismal run that resulted in Joe Root stepping down as captain and Ben Stokes replacing him.

New Zealand will attempt to make it a painful start to McCullum's tenure in the first Test at Lord's, which starts on Thursday, but Black Caps quick Southee thinks the 40-year-old can make a big impact.

He said: "It's exciting, obviously a great challenge for Brendon. I know him pretty well. Everything he does, he gives it a 100 per cent, so this will be no different.

"He's excited about the next wee while and what lays ahead of him. I'm sure he'll be doing everything he can to bring the best out of this England Test side. He's a great man-manager and he loves to try to get the best out of people.

"I'm sure he'll be doing that here as well. The way he played his cricket was exciting and fearless, and that's the way he is a person and I'm sure that's the way he is as a coach as well.

"It will be an exciting brand of cricket, I'm sure. They [England] won't die wondering I'd imagine if the way he goes about things is anything to go by."

New Zealand won the World Test Championship in England last year, but drew their past two series against Bangladesh and South Africa.

They have had changes of their own with Ross Taylor and BJ Watling retiring, but Southee is optimistic they can show their class in London.

He said: "It's very important, dropping a couple of Test matches in our home summer puts a little bit extra on this series. But our focus is the first five days here at Lord's, then we shift on to the second Test and the third. As a group, we try to play what's in front of us, attack it one Test at a time.

"We've been lucky that we've had a pretty consistent group of guys for a long period of time. Those two guys, BJ and Ross, have been massive parts of the side for such a long time, they're obviously big holes to fill.

"But we've got guys who have been playing some pretty good cricket and waiting in the wings for a while. Tom Blundell's had glimpses, played the last year and made some pretty handy contributions and the likes of Devon Conway and Will Young have impressed in their short international careers so far."

Luke Wood and David Payne are the new faces in England's first ODI squad ahead of June's three-match tour of the Netherlands.

Lancashire seamer Wood and Gloucestershire paceman Payne have been included in a 14-man party by white-ball coach Matthew Mott.

England have not played an ODI series since facing Pakistan in July 2021.

While Payne was previously called up for last year's series, this is Wood's first inclusion in the national set-up, with both seeking a maiden cap.

Captain Eoin Morgan returns after missing out last year due to a COVID-19 outbreak that forced a complete last-gasp squad overhaul.

Apart from Payne, Brydon Carse, Dawid Malan and Phil Salt are the only players from that second-string selection to make the cut this time, as a host of familiar faces come back into the mix.

Among them are Liam Livingstone and Jos Buttler, who both enjoyed successful campaigns in the Indian Premier League.

Livingstone scored 437 runs across 14 appearances for Punjab Kings, while Buttler's superb form propelled Rajasthan Royals to Sunday's final, though they lost to Gujarat Titans.

"We have tremendous depth with a blend of youth and experience," Mott stated. "We want to continue to play in an expressive style and let our players showcase their skills and firepower.

"Luke Wood deserves his call-up. He has been consistent for Lancashire over the past 12 months and we have been monitoring his progression.

"If given a chance to play, I'm sure he will make most of his opportunity. This is a historic occasion for the sport and the first time England men have played the Netherlands in an ODI series.

"We can't wait to head over to Amsterdam and put on a show for the thousands of fans travelling to support the team."

The series against the Netherlands starts at Amstelveen on 17 June, with the next two games to follow at the same venue on June 19 and 22.

England squad in full: Eoin Morgan, Moeen Ali, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, David Payne, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, David Willey, Luke Wood.

Ben Stokes will find the England Test captaincy to be a "learning curve", according to team-mate Jonny Bairstow.

But the Yorkshire batsman does not expect the Durham star to change much as a player now he has been given the armband.

Stokes gets his tenure as Joe Root's successor underway against New Zealand in the first match of a three-Test series this Thursday.

The all-rounder is looking to help reverse England's dismal form after a difficult few months.

"Not much will change from Ben Stokes the player," Bairstow told BBC Sport's Test Match Special.

"The way he goes about his bowling and his batting, it's all whole-hearted stuff and his captaincy will be the same. [But] it's going to be a learning experience for him as well.

"We need to understand and recognise that it's going to be a learning curve, but the experience that he's got around him, and the visions that he's got are great.

"If we can all pull together in the right direction, then it is going to be an exciting brand of cricket."

Stokes will hope to get his captaincy off to a winning start against the Black Caps at Lord's, though he has been handed a blow after Ollie Robinson tested positive for COVID-19.

The Sussex bowler had been omitted from the latest squad amid playing time concerns and his attempts to return to full fitness with a view to featuring in the third Test have suffered a setback.

New Zealand meanwhile could be without Henry Nicholls and Trent Boult, though both have been named in the tourists' 15-man squad.

The former has been recovering from a calf injury sustained in training before the team arrived, while the latter arrives this week after playing for Rajasthan Royals in Sunday's IPL final.

Brendon McCullum insists he will pick his best England Test side at every opportunity with no interest in rest and rotation, while he suggested James Anderson and Stuart Broad can still work in tandem.

Anderson and Broad were surprise omissions for the tour of the West Indies in March, which ended in a 1-0 series defeat for Joe Root before he stepped down as England Test captain.

Ben Stokes was appointed as the successor to Root, who oversaw just one win in his last 17 Tests, while McCullum was named as red-ball coach, beating Gary Kirsten to the position.

McCullum's first task sees him face his home country New Zealand, starting at Lord's next Thursday, and he hinted Anderson and Broad – who have 1,117 Test wickets between them – could feature together.

"Why not? They can work together," he said to BBC Sport of the veteran bowling pair. "They have had successful careers together.

"There might have been times when the combination might not have been as good as everyone hoped, but there are circumstances around that – there might not have been enough runs, or they were bowling in benign conditions. I'm certainly not against picking them together.

"I'll probably get in trouble, but I like to pick the best team every time.

"My job will be to plan as if you'll live forever, but live as if you'll die tomorrow."

McCullum also sees similarities between himself and new captain Stokes, with the pair both known for their attacking batting displays in five-day cricket.

"He's going to be a wonderful leader," said McCullum. "He plays the game how I like it to be played and puts bums on seats.

"He might fly. He might grab the captaincy and go to a whole new level again. We'll just play what we see and feel in that moment – and I'm sure the relationship between Stokesy and I will really flourish."

There remain concerns over McCullum's experience, given he has only ever coached white-ball franchises Kolkata Knight Riders and Trinbago Knight Riders.

However, he played 101 Tests for his country and believes he will coach differently to the aggressive batting style he opted for as a player.

"I'm very different as a coach to how I was as a player," he added.

"I like to allow guys to get to where they need to, to realise their potential rather than play how I played. I'd never want anyone to do that – that comes with an immense amount of disappointment at times. It's not for everyone, that style.

"Your job as coach is to understand everyone's game, understand them as people, get to know them and understand their aspirations. You try to piece that all together for one common goal."

Brendon McCullum concedes England took "a big risk" by appointing him as men's Test coach, but hopes his side can reinvigorate interest in red-ball cricket across the world.

England's new men's managing director Rob Key chose New Zealand great McCullum ahead of the likes of Gary Kirsten and interim coach Paul Collingwood.

McCullum will be tasked with transforming England's fortunes in five-day cricket after just one win in 17 Tests led to the resignation of captain Joe Root, with Ben Stokes his replacement.

However, McCullum's experience comes from white-ball cricket, where he has only ever coached T20 franchises; Indian Premier League side Kolkata Knight Riders and their Caribbean Premier League affiliate Trinbago Knight Riders.

While McCullum acknowledged a seeming lack of experience, the 40-year-old remains confident he can make a noticeable impact for England and cricket on a wider scale.

"I think for me red-ball cricket has always been the pinnacle of the sport, if you look at where the game sits currently, it's probably on a bit of a downward trend and to me the nation that can really change that is England," McCullum told Sky Sports.

"Because of the tradition of Test cricket here in England and I guess the fan following and the support that it gets in this country.

"For us to be competitive in Test cricket I think will go a long way in trying to be able to hopefully just shift that a little bit in terms of the perception of red-ball cricket moving forward.

"I'm confident in the skills that I've got and I'm confident in the group that we have to start things off as well.

“Obviously it might take a little while to become completely adjusted to the methods and the ways over here and it might take some time for guys to become adjusted to me as well, but I'm looking forward to it.

"For me it was a big risk taken by everyone but, for me, you don't get anywhere unless you take risks."

McCullum admitted he will be far from a hands-on coach with the mental aspects of cricket more of interest to him than technique, while he hailed Stokes' leadership.

"I certainly don't coach technically. I understand the technique obviously, but for me it's more around tactics and man-management and trying to provide the right environment for the team to try and go out there and be the best versions of themselves," he added.

"So I think with Stokesy as captain we've got a really strong leader, a 'follow me' type of captain and so I think my job will be to try and ensure that we’re consistent with a lot of our messaging.

"I'll look after the guys inside the environment as well and try and allow them to really grow at a speed which they might not have got to previously, so it's a big challenge."

McCullum faces home country New Zealand in his first Test in charge of England, which starts next Thursday at Lord's.

Harry Kane is hoping to break Wayne Rooney's England goalscoring record at the World Cup later this year, as he looks to help the Three Lions improve on their 2018 semi-final appearance.

Kane has scored 49 goals in 69 appearances for England after moving level with Bobby Charlton's international tally in a 2-1 friendly win over Switzerland at Wembley in March.

The Tottenham striker is now just four goals behind Rooney's Three Lions record, despite playing 50 international games fewer than the Manchester United legend.

Indeed, Kane has averaged 0.71 goals per game for his country, compared to Rooney's 0.45, and it looks to be a matter of time before Gareth Southgate's captain establishes himself as the greatest goalscorer in the national team's history.

Kane also enjoyed a successful season at club level, registering 17 goals and nine assists in the Premier League to help Antonio Conte's Spurs to Champions League qualification.

Speaking on The Tonight Show, the Spurs talisman expressed his excitement for England to build on their 2018 World Cup semi-final loss to Croatia, as he targeted breaking Rooney's record in Qatar.

"I'm excited," Kane told host Jimmy Fallon. "In the last World Cup we got to the semi-finals, which was the furthest we've gone in the tournament for 30 years.

"The country was going mad, but we fell just that one step short. I'm looking forward to this one as we've got a really good coach and a really good team. 

"We've been building nicely to this World Cup, and hopefully I can break the goal record while we're there."

Kane could even break the record before the tournament, with England facing four Nations League contests next month, including clashes with Germany and Euro 2020 final conquerors Italy.

The 28-year-old scored six goals as England progressed to the final four of the last World Cup in Russia, and a repeat performance would also see him become his country's record goalscorer at the competition, with Gary Lineker having scored 10 goals across the 1986 and 1990 tournaments.

Chris Smalling and Tammy Abraham both revelled in Roma's Europa Conference League triumph after defeating Feyenoord 1-0 in Wednesday's final in Tirana.

Nicolo Zaniolo's lone goal proved the difference for the Giallorossi, chesting Gianluca Mancini's pass over the top of the defence to poke the ball home past Justin Bijlow in the 32nd minute.

While Abraham top-scored for the team over the tournament with nine goals, Smalling turned in a man-of-the-match performance at centre-back to help secure Roma's maiden European trophy.

One of the first in a modern wave of Englishmen playing abroad in Europe's top five leagues, Smalling was well aware of Roma's continental drought, insisting it motivated the team.

"We knew how much it was going to mean to everybody in Rome, and you can see how together we are, everybody fought until the end," Smalling told BT Sport.

"We had to do that on a few occasions this year, we dropped a bit deeper than we maybe wanted to but we knew we had to do everything. You could see, strikers running back, everybody defending and we knew we had to win.

"Even when I first came to the club it had been a long time since they won a trophy, you can hear the fans. We knew how much it was going to mean, you can see we've got some of the best fans."

Abraham had previously stated he was reticent to play in the Serie A, believing it would take him out of the frame for England selection.

With 27 goals in 52 games in all competitions this season, Abraham is part of Gareth Southgate's squad for the June international window along with Fikayo Tomori, who this weekend wrapped up the Serie A title with Milan.

The 24-year-old Abraham believes Roma deserved their victory on the night, while his reception in Italy has inspired him.

"One thing I said when I came here was I was going to help the team get to the final and one day I want to win a trophy," Abraham also told BT Sport. "In my first season I have achieved that.

"Credit to my team-mates, excellent performances. We deserve it. We have worked hard all year.

"I love them (the fans). From day one I came here it has been the best. We are champions, I am happy to be a part of the team, now it is time to celebrate and enjoy."

Brighton and Hove Albion right-back Tariq Lamptey is "considering" playing for Ghana instead of England at international level, according to England Under-21 manager Lee Carsley.

Former Brighton boss Chris Hughton was appointed technical director of the Ghana national team in February, and is reported to have proposed that Lamptey declare for the Black Stars ahead of the World Cup later this year.

The 21-year-old has made two appearances for England's U21 team, but is yet to feature at senior level.

Lamptey has struggled with injuries this season, making only 32 appearances for Brighton (18 starts) in all competitions, and was not named in either Gareth Southgate's latest senior Three Lions squad, or Carsley's U21 squad for upcoming games.

"There's an issue over his dual nationality," Carsley said, as reported by The Athletic. "He's had an approach. It’s something he’s considering at the minute.

"He's asked to be left out of the squad for a bit of head space. He's not switched, it’s not cemented or anything like that. But he's had an approach. We have to respect that.

"We've made it clear how important we see him to us. I know the seniors have as well. It's not something that we've given up on. Tariq is fully aware of how important we see him.

"To be fair, I have rang him every day. I probably shouldn't have, I probably pushed him. You can only make it clear so many times.

"I wouldn't say we've done as much as we can, but he knows where we stand with him. I think we have to respect now that he's got a decision to make. Not only with himself, but with his family."

Ghana face Madagascar and Central African Republic next month in Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, with Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah also rumoured to be someone who could declare for them soon.

Meanwhile, Nketiah's club team-mate Emile Smith-Rowe was named in Carsley's squad for the UEFA Under-21 Championship qualifiers, despite having played for the senior team. 

Gareth Southgate believes it is an "embarrassment" England is playing next month's Nations League match at home to Italy behind closed doors.

June's Euro 2020 final rematch at the Molineux Stadium will be held without fans in attendance, after UEFA sanctioned the English Football Association for crowd trouble that marred that Wembley loss for Southgate's side.

Fans burst into the stadium without tickets and fought with stewards as England lost in that dramatic penalty shootout, and were given a two-game attendance ban by European football's governing body as a result.

Asked if the FA were given a lenient ruling upon announcing his squad for the upcoming international window, Southgate was blunt on England and English football's reputation.

"Well, we're on a yellow card aren't we, so we are where we are," Southgate said. "We've got the embarrassment now of playing behind closed doors at home.

"Normally when you watch those things having happened abroad, we're all grandstanding about how it's someone else's problem and how this country should be dealt with - and now it's us. That's not a good optic for our country.

"There's clearly a responsibility within football because, when it's in our environment, we've got to do all we can to try to make sure it doesn't happen."

England will play four Nations League fixtures in June, with away trips to Hungary and Germany, before facing Italy and playing out the return fixture with Hungary.

The games come on the back of a recent spate of crowd trouble to mark the end of the English domestic season.

Sheffield United striker Billy Sharp was struck by a fan in their Championship playoff against Nottingham Forest, while Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira was involved in a scuffle with a supporter following their loss to Everton. This weekend, Aston Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen was assaulted by a pitch-invading Manchester City supporter.

In response, Southgate has urged for English football to show restraint and avoid changes that can obstruct the matchday experience.  

"We all recognise that, but it's a wider problem," he said. "It's behaviour and a reflection on where we are as a country.

"It's a difficult time for people, we're going to have more difficult times because of the economy and the realities of the situation we're in.

"How do we want to be viewed as a country because that's manifesting itself in football at the moment and that's not a good look. We don't want to go back to fences up and the type of environment that created."

England manager Gareth Southgate has called up West Ham winger Jarrod Bowen and Leicester City's James Justin for the first time, while Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori return.

The Three Lions face Germany, Italy and Hungary next month in the Nations League, with England confirming a 27-man squad on Tuesday.

Bowen, who scored 18 goals for West Ham this season to help David Moyes' side finish seventh in the Premier League and reach the Europa League semi-finals, "was in the frame" to be called up in March, according to Southgate, but did not make the cut.

Only Harry Kane scored more goals in all competitions over the 2021-22 season among Englishmen in the Premier League.

Leicester full-back Justin is a surprise choice, though his ability to fill in at left-back may have seen him get the nod, with Luke Shaw having missed the end of the season due to injury and Ben Chilwell only making his Chelsea comeback on Sunday.

Jordan Henderson does not feature despite being set to play in this weekend's Champions League final with Liverpool, though his club-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold is included. Tyrone Mings and Eric Dier miss out in defence.

"We felt like Hendo [Henderson] we didn't need to see this summer. Trent is slightly different," Southgate told a news conference on Tuesday.

Tomori, who has enjoyed a brilliant season with Serie A champions Milan, is called up in Mings' place, while another English player to thrive in Serie A this season – Roma striker Abraham – is also present. 

A first-half double against Torino on Friday saw Abraham become the highest-scoring English player in a single season in the Italian top flight, surpassing the previous mark of 16 set by Gerald Hitchens at Inter in 1961-62. 

Kyle Walker makes his return after recovering from injury, while Kieran Trippier is also recalled. Reece James figures as well in a defence stacked with right-backs.

Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi is included, though Southgate confirmed the centre-back has a knock, while Harry Maguire is the only Manchester United player to feature in the squad, with Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho unsurprisingly absent again.

Similarly, there is no place for Arsenal's Emile Smith Rowe, while James Maddison has been overlooked despite a strong season with Leicester.

England begin their Nations League campaign against Hungary on June 4, before taking on Germany in Munich three days later.

Italy face the Three Lions at Molineux on June 11 in a repeat of the Euro 2020 final, while Hungary also visit Wolverhampton on June 14.

England squad in full: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Burnley), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal); Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Coady (Wolves), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), James Justin (Leicester City) Harry Maguire (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Fikayo Tomori (Milan), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Ben White (Arsenal); Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Conor Gallagher (Crystal Palace, on loan from Chelsea), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds United), Declan Rice (West Ham), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton); Tammy Abraham (Roma), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City).

Cheteshwar Pujara has been rewarded with a return to the India squad for the rearranged fifth Test against England in July after a fine spell in the County Championship.

India, led by Virat Kohli, were 2-1 up in the five-match Test series in England before the tourists were unable to field a team due to coronavirus-related concerns in September.

The one-off Test starts at Edgbaston on July 1, following a four-day warm-up game against Leicestershire on June 24, and India have named their 17-man red-ball squad.

Pujara was dropped for the home Test series against Sri Lanka but has been reinstated after managing 720 runs in eight innings for Sussex – including four centuries – in County Championship Division Two.

Ravindra Jadeja is also part of the touring party despite pulling out of the ongoing Indian Premier League due to a rib injury, while Hanuma Vihari and Shubman Gill retained their spots.

Rohit Sharma will lead the Test side after Kohli, who remains in the squad, stepped down as captain following the 2-1 series defeat to South Africa earlier this year.

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami will lead the bowling attack, which includes Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur and the uncapped Prasidh Krishna.

Ajinkya Rahane was not available for selection after sustaining a hamstring injury, while openers Mayank Agarwal and Priyank Panchal were the other two left out from the Sri Lanka series.

Meanwhile, Rohit, Kohli and Bumrah were all rested for the home five-match T20I series against South Africa, which starts on June 9.

KL Rahul will skipper the white-ball side in Sharma's absence, with fast bowler Umran Malik handed a maiden call-up after impressing in the IPL with Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The experienced Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik return to the international limited-overs squad, while spin duo Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal make their comebacks after taking the IPL by storm.

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda and Shreyas Iyer all retain their spots, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar heading a bowling attack that includes Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh.

India’s Test squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain) Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.

India’s T20I squad: KL Rahul (captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (vice-captain)(wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik.

Brazil legend Cafu believes anything other than winning the World Cup in Qatar will be deemed as a failure for the Selecao.

Tite's side breezed through World Cup qualifying as they topped the South American group after going unbeaten through their 17 games, winning 14 and drawing three.

The world's number one ranked side and five-time winners have been labelled by many as favourites to lift the World Cup come December.

Brazil, who boast the likes of Liverpool pair Alisson and Fabinho, along with Paris Saint-Germain duo Neymar and Marquinhos, have been drawn into a group with Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon.

However, the Selecao have not appeared in a World Cup final since 2002, when they won the competition, with the last four editions seeing European teams triumph.

Cafu – the only man to appear in three consecutive finals, winning in 1994, losing in 1998 and captaining in the 2002 win – believes it is time for Brazil to claim a sixth World Cup.

"Every competition that Brazil steps into there is the pressure to win it. They are a huge country in the world with a huge history," Cafu told BBC Sport.

"The pressure to win is always there in any game, not just the World Cup. We have a very good generation of Brazilian footballers coming through so the expectation is there as usual.

"It is about time we won, it is clear if we don't win the World Cup it will be a failure. We all have the expectations and hopes that we can do it."

Gareth Southgate's England must negotiate a group with Iran, the United States and one of either Wales, Scotland or Ukraine.

England are on the opposite side of the draw to Brazil, meaning the two sides cannot meet before the semi-final stage.

Cafu, who is his country's most-capped player after making 142 appearances, suggested a meeting between the two nations would be a dream for Brazilian fans.

"For the Brazilian people it would be considered a dream final because of the historical weight of the two nations in football," he said.

"This match would carry huge emotion and it would be beautiful not only for the fans of England but also for football in general."