London: Opener Prithvi Shaw and middle-order batsman Suryakumar Yadav have been added to the Indian Test squad in England. The five-match series against England starts August 4. Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav are replacements to injured players Shubman Gill and Washington Sundar. Bengal opener Abhimanyu Easwaran, who was in stand bye has been added to the main squad. This is because stand bye pacer Avesh Khan is also going back home with a fractured left thumb. Gill is out with shin splints while Sundar has an injury to his right-hand bowling finger.
“The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav as replacements,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a media release.
“All-rounder Washington Sundar had taken an injection on his right-hand bowling finger. However, his recovery will take longer than expected. He is not bowling-fit. He is ruled out of the remainder of the tour,” it further stated.
Both Avesh and Washington sustained their injuries while turning up for County XI in the first-class warm-up game against their own side. This was done after multiple players in the home team were ruled out either due to injury or because of Covid-19 isolation.
Suryakumar has been among the runs and got the Player of the Series Award in the recently concluded ODI series against Sri Lanka. He also got a half century in the first T20I which was played Sunday. India won the match by 38 runs.
The Board also informed that wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant, who tested positive for Covid, ‘has recovered’. “He (Pant) has begun his preparations for the upcoming Test series after clearance from the BCCI Medical Team,” the statement said.
The BCCI also stated that bowling coach Bharat Arun, wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha and Easwaran have completed their self-isolation here. They have joined Indian team in Durham.
A senior BCCI official had earlier said that both players (Surya and Shaw) would have a bubble to bubble transfer from Colombo to this city.
The full India squad: Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohd Shami, Mohd Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav.