India vs England: Selectors reject management’s demand to send Prithvi Shaw and Devdutta Padikkal as reserve openers
An Indian team management request to the selectors to send openers Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal to join the test team in England has been rejected, India Today reported on Tuesday.
The request was made after Shubman Gill’s injury surfaced following the completion of World Test Championship (WTC) versus New Zealand in Southampton.
Selectors have suggested the management to draft Abhimanyu Easwaran, who is already with the team as a reserve opener, in the squad.
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 has asked for openers Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal to join the side, but questions were being raised about whether the chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma is on the same page as the think-tank.
The request had hinted that Abhimanyu Easwaran, who is in the reserves, is not believed to be technically ready for top quality Test cricket. 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, is only considered for the middle order and not as an opener.
“Shubman Gill has been ruled out of the entire Test series in the UK with shin splints that will take 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,” PTI had quoted a senior BCCI source privy to developments.
Both Shaw and Padikkal are part of India’s limited-overs squad which is currently in Sri Lanka for the six white-ball matches.
While, Prithvi Shaw was dropped from the playing XI and later from the England series after his failure in the pink-ball Test versus 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.
