BCCI Set To Send Injury Replacements For Indian Test Team In Next 24 Hours: Reports

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) may decide to send a few players to England in the next 24 hours as replacements for the injured ones in the Test squad. Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav are reported to be at least the two players who will be soon on the plane to the UK.

Shubman Gill was ruled out of the entire Test series against the hosts starting August 4th, after he sustained a leg injury. Gill has, in fact, has returned back home.

Other than Gill, Washington Sundar and Avesh Khan are also injured – both of them sustained finger injuries while playing the three-day warm-up game earlier this week. According to a report in Cricbuzz, both of them are also ruled out of the series and will return home.

In that case, the Chetan Sharma-led selection committee, in agreement with a discussion with the management in England, is reported to have decided to fly Suryakumar and Shaw, both of whom are in Sri Lanka for the T20 series now after India won the ODI series.

It is still unclear when and from where both of them – and if any more players – will fly to England where they will have to undergo a specific period of quarantine and are unlikely to be available for the first Test at Trent Bridge.

Devdutt Padikkal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s names are also in the fray to being sent to England for the Test series.

“It’s a conscious decision on part of the BCCI. Earlier, when it was just about one opener, the board decided there were two other options for that slot in Abhimanyu Easwaran and KL Rahul. But now a good all-rounder and an upcoming pacer have also been ruled out. Given the length of the tour, BCCI will have to send replacements,” TOI quoted a source as saying.

“Probably why Rahul Dravid decided not to play Devdutt Padikkal despite considering five replacements for Friday’s game. Bhuvneshwar Kumar could be in the mix too, considering he can bat and can be effective in English conditions,” the source added.

“That is the reason the replacements need to be sent at the earliest. We’re just 10 days away from the first Test, so they won’t be available for that game anyway. At least they should start working for the second Test and even that’ll be close in case India are forced to play any of the newcomers.”

Also Read: India Took Sri Lanka A Bit Lightly In The Third ODI- Aakash Chopra Questions India’s Tactics Of Making Six Changes