Opening batsman Prithvi Shaw, middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav, who are in Sri Lanka right now on national duty, and off-spinner Jayant Yadav could be asked to join the Indian Test squad on their tour of England, the Indian Express has stated in a report.
The three players could replace the injured top-order player Shubman Gill, pacer Avesh Khan and spin all-rounder Washington Sundar. While Gill has returned to India following a shin injury, Sundar and Khan sustained finger injuries during Indians’ just-concluded three-day warm-up match against a County Select XI and will also be boarding the flight back to the country.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), it is learnt, is making plans to fly the players (Shaw, Suryakumar and Jayant) to England.
the Indian Express further said in their report.
Earlier when the team management had reportedly asked for Shaw as a replacement for the injured Gill, the BCCI had turned down their request. But with the injury concerns on the rise, the board has changed its stance.
In Gill’s absence, India only have two opening batsmen – Mayank Agarwal and Rohit Sharma – available in the main squad. And though KL Rahul and Abhimanyu Easwaran (standby option) are also part of the touring contingent, the former is being looked at as a middle-order candidate only, and the latter, it is understood, hasn’t quite impressed the management with his form in the nets.
Jayant, who has played 4 Tests for India, will be a like-for-like replacement for Sundar, who is now staring at a recovery period of about six weeks.
Suryakumar is in contention for Test selection amid injury concern around vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane. Rahane didn’t play the warm-up game in Durham because of a hamstring issue.
The selection committee has looked to boost India’s batting instead of identifying a like-for-like option for Avesh. That, since Virat Kohli and company already have their premier quicks – Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Mohammad Siraj, Shardul Thakur and Umesh Yadav – available in the ranks, with adequate standby pace options also there in England in the form of Prasidh Krishna and Arzan Nagwaswalla.
