Opener Prithvi Shaw, middle-order batsman Suryakumar Yadav and off-spinner Jayant Yadav are likely to join the Indian Test team in England as replacements for injured players. The Indian team management had asked for two openers and one off-spinner as replacements for the three injured players; opener Shubman Gill, all-rounder Washington Sundar and fast bowler Avesh Khan. It is learnt that the team management wanted Shaw, Yadav and Jayant Yadav, who can also bat. Gill has returned home following a shin injury, Sundar and Khan both have finger injuries. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), it is learnt, is making plans to fly the players to England. Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav are currently in Sri Lanka where they are playing a limited over series, whereas Jayant Yadav is in India. The Indian team had earlier asked for Shaw as a replacement for Gill but the request was turned down by the BCCI. But with the injury list increasing, the BCCI has changed its mind. Opener Mayank Agarwal is part of the team and so is Rohit Sharma. Abhimanyu Easwaran is a standby. The BCCI had picked 23 players for the World Test Championship and the five-match Test series against England starting from August 4. Khan had injured his finger during a practice game a few days ago while Sundar was unable to bowl. Sundar is likely to be out for six weeks. Suryakumar Yadav is being picked because Ajinkya Rahane is dealing with a hamstring issue. India’s vice-captain Rahane played the warm-up game after taking an injection. Reason for not asking for a like-for-like replacement for injured medium-pacer Avesh Khan is because the team felt they had enough fast bowlers in the touring party. Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Mohammad Siraj, Shardul Thakur and Umesh Yadav form the pace unit. Jayant Yadav last played a Test match against Australia in Pune in 2017.
