Opener Prithvi Shaw and middle-order batsman Suryakumar Yadav have been added to India’s squad for the upcoming tour of England. The duo was announced as replacements for injured players in the 21-man squad for the five-match Test series against England.
The batting duo, which was part of the recently concluded ODI series victory against Sri Lanka has been given marching orders to join the Test squad in England. Last evening, the BCCI’s All India Senior Selection Committee officially announced the names of both these players as part of the Test squad. They have been roped in as replacements for the injured trio of Washington Sundar, Avesh Khan and Shubman Gill.
Gill, who suffered a leg injury during the World Test Championship final has already travelled back to India for his rehabilitation process. While Sundar and Avesh Khan are still with the team, but have been practically ruled out of the tour following injuries. The fast bowler Avesh suffered a fracture in his left thumb while Sundar is still recovering from his finger injury which he picked up earlier.
Following the addition of the Mumbai duo, the return of Rishabh Pant, Wriddhiman Saha and Abhimanyu Easwaran after their self-isolation period, the Indian test squad looks as follows:
India’s squad: Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (Captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav
Standby players: Prasidh Krishna, Arzan Nagwaswalla
The inclusion of Prithvi Shaw comes as a surprise following the BCCI’s earlier rejection of the management’s request for a backup opener after Gill got injured. They were asked to stick with the options available within the squad. Both Yadav and Shaw looked in fine touch against Sri Lanka, scoring runs in all three ODI matches. Shaw even bagged the Man of the Match in the first ODI for his quick-fire of 43, which set the tone for a successful run-chase. Whereas Surya scored a crucial fifty in the second ODI which helped India secure yet another series victory over the Island nation of Sri Lanka.
The highly anticipated five-match Test series is scheduled to commence from 4th August. England will look to settle their score after receiving a 3-1 thrashing by India earlier this year. On the other hand, India will look to bounce back from their agonizing defeat against New Zealand in the WTC Final.