According to the latest reports of India Today, the Indian selectors have declined the request of the team to send the openers Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal to join the Test squad in England. The request was made after Shubman Gill’s injury surfaced following the completion of the World Test Championship (WTC) against New Zealand in Southampton.
Selectors have suggested the management draft Abhimanyu Easwaran, who has already been included in the squad as a reserve opener. The Indian team management in England has written an email asking for a replacement for Shubman Gill. India is set to play a five-match Test series against England, starting August 4.
As per the email written on June 28, the Indian team management had requested to send openers Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal to the UK, but questions were being raised about whether the chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma is on the same page as the team management.
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The request had hinted that Abhimanyu Easwaran, who is in the reserves, is not believed to be technically ready for top-quality Test cricket in English conditions. His selection over Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal is also debatable under these circumstances.
This also means that KL Rahul, who has opened in England before, can be considered for the middle order and not as an opener, Mayank Agarwal will be expected to retain the opening slot.
As per the quotes in PTI, one of their sources in the BCCI said, “Shubman Gill has been ruled out of the entire Test series in the UK with shin splints that will take a minimum of three months to heal. The team’s administrative manager, at the end of last month, had sent an emailed requisition to former pacer Sharma asking for two more openers to be sent to the UK.”
Both Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal are part of India’s limited-overs squad which is currently in Sri Lanka for the six white-ball matches.
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While Prithvi Shaw was dropped from the playing XI during the Australia tour and later from the England series after his failure in the pink-ball Test against Australia in Adelaide, Devdutt Padikkal just received his maiden India call-up for the Sri Lanka series starting July 13 with the first ODI in Colombo.
