Shaw, Yadav to join India squad in England

NEW DELHI: Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav will bolster India’s batting lineup for their Test series in England after being named as injury replacements on Monday.

Shaw and Yadav are currently in Sri Lanka playing a limited-overs series. They will switch because of injuries to Shubman Gill, Avesh Khan and Washington Sundar, the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced.

It was not immediately clear whether they would take part in the final two Twenty20 matches in Colombo. Yadav played a key role in India’s win on Sunday. The BCCI said Sundar had needed an injection on a finger in his right hand and was ruled out of the England tour.

Khan fractured a thumb in a warm-up game while Gill suffered a shin injury during the World Test Championship (WTC) final defeat to New Zealand last month. Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has meanwhile recovered from Covid-19 with two negative tests and started preparations for the five Tests starting August 4 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.

Bowling coach B. Arun, Wriddhiman Saha and Abhimanyu Easwaran have completed self-isolation in London and joined the squad in Durham, the BCCI said. Virat Kohli’s Test side stayed in England and were given a break after the WTC final in Southampton. Pant did not stay in the team hotel during that period and tested positive on July 8. Net bowler Dayanand Garani also tested positive with Arun, Saha and Easwaran identified as contacts and underwent 10 days of isolation.