England vs India: Sundar, Gill ruled out of Test series
In a big development, all-rounder Washington Sundar, opening-batsman Shubman Gill, and fast bowler Avesh Khan have been ruled out of the England Test series. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed the same of Monday. Meanwhile, batsmen Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav have been named as replacements by the All-India Senior Selection Committee. Here are further details.
Shaw and Suryakumar included in the squad
India's squad for England Test series: 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, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav.
Why was Gill ruled out?
As per the BCCI, Sundar had taken an injection on the finger of his right hand. However, his recovery will take longer than expected. Avesh suffered a blow to his left thumb on Day 1 of the warm-up game. He was taken for an X-Ray, with the result confirming a fracture. Gill is enduring stress reaction on his left lower leg (shin).
Here are the other developments
Wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant has recovered from COVID-19 with two negative RT-PCR tests. He has started his preparations for the impending Test series after getting clearance from the BCCI Medical Team. Pant had contracted the virus earlier this month. Meanwhile, Bharat Arun, Wriddhiman Saha, and Abhimanyu Easwaran have completed their self-isolation in London and have joined Team India in Durham.
Mayank Agarwal expected to open despite Shaw's inclusion
Mayank Agarwal is expected to open the innings alongside Rohit Sharma despite the inclusion of Shaw. Gill had replaced Shaw midway through the Australian Test series after the latter underwent a lean patch. Mayank will likely get his spot back due to his experience. Having played most of his Tests overseas, he has amassed 1,052 runs from 14 Tests at 45.74.
Shaw and Suryakumar are playing the T20I series in SL
At the moment, Shaw and Suryakumar are involved in the white-ball series in Sri Lanka. Both players featured in India's ODI series win against Sri Lanka (2-1). They also played the first T20I against Sri Lanka, which India won by 38 runs. Suryakumar has shown consistency in the middle-order of late, while Shaw has been giving India fiery starts.
