Internet Desk: The selectors have called Tamil Nadu all-rounder Vijay Shankar in the Indian squad for the second cricket Test against which is set to start from November 24 in Nagpur. BCCI have also released Bhuvneshar Kumar and Shikhar Dhawan from the squad due to their personal reasons. Now it will be a 14-member squad for Nagpur Test.
Bhuvneshwar won’t be available for the remaining two Tests for his marriage, on the other hand Shikhar will join the squad in the third Test.
“The BCCI would like to inform that Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shikhar Dhawan have been released from India’s Test team. The duo made a request to the selectors and the team management to release them owing to personal reasons,” the statement said.
“Kumar will not take any further part in the ongoing Paytm Test series against Sri Lanka and the All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Vijay Shankar as his replacement. Dhawan is available for selection for the third Test,” it further stated.
Shankar is not expected to play in the second Test as Murali Vijay is the reserve opener in the squad and Ishant Sharma is the third pacer.
However this is the maiden call-up for the Tamil Nadu one-day captain, who has scored 1671 runs and taken 27 wickets in 32 first-class matches. He has been playing for India A for some time and also is next in line after Hardik Pandya as the seam bowling all-rounder.
India Test squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), KL Rahul, M Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (Vice-Captain), Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Vijay Shankar.