Batsmen Prithvi Shaw and Hanuma Vihari have been called up to India’s Test squad for the final two matches in England. Opening batsman M Vijay, who was out for a pair at Lord’s and then dropped from the XI at Trent Bridge, and left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav, whose selection in the second Test had raised eyebrows, have been dropped.
It is understood that Vijay’s poor form – he has six single-digit scores in his last 11 innings – has not pleased the team management, prompting them to think about grooming a younger opener. At 34, Vijay’s international future now looks uncertain.
Kuldeep has been sent back to India to play for the India A team, a decision believed to be made in light of the conditions in England where one spinner in the XI has usually sufficed. Coach Ravi Shastri told the media at the end of the Trent Bridge Test that R Ashwin, who was suffering from a hip injury, would be fit in time for the next Test in Southampton starting August 30. There is also Ravindra Jadeja waiting in the wings.
The 18-year old Shaw captained India to the Under-19 World Cup title in February and has since been part of India’s A teams. He also has an IPL contract with Delhi Daredevils. Vihari, meanwhile, has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket, so much so that the 24-year old averages 59.79 from 63 first-class matches. No one currently playing first-class cricket has a has a better average.
Both men are in good form as well, having each struck centuries against South Africa A in Bengaluru at the start of August. They were also part of the A team in England last month, when Shaw was especially effective as an opening batsman, scoring 188 in a four-day game against West Indies A. That is his highest score – he has seven centuries in all – in 14 first-class games since making his debut for Mumbai in January 2017. Vihari began his career with Hyderabad but has now moved to Andhra, a team he now captains. Among his 5142 runs are 15 hundreds and 24 fifties, including a highest score of 302 not out.
There is one other concern for India, who are trailing 2-1 in the series: the fitness of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He had left the squad at the end of the limited-overs leg of the tour and it is unclear whether he will recover in time for the final two Tests. “I have not had a word with the selectors,” Shastri said on the matter, “But they will be picking the side either today or tomorrow.”
India squad: Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Karun Nair, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hanuma Vihari