Hardik Pandya Called Up, Mayank Agarwal Replaces Prithvi Shaw for Remaining Two Tests


The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the squads for the final two Test matches against Australia, and all-rounder Hardik Pandya and Mayank Agarwal have been roped in. While Pandya has recovered from injury, Agarwal has replaced Prithvi Shaw, who is down with an injured ankle. The rest of the two matches will be played in Melbourne and Sydney respectively. Opener Prithvi Shaw had suffered an ankle injury while attempting a catch during a practice match against Cricket Australia XI last month.

Here’s India’s squad for the 3rd and 4th Test against Australia: Virat Kohli (captain), M Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Parthiv Patel (wicket-keeper), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya, Mayank Agarwal

India coach Ravi Shastri had earlier said Prithvi Shaw is a more likely return for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. “It was heart-breaking to see him go down. But the good thing is he’s recovering quickly. He’s already started walking. Hopefully if we can get him to run a bit by the weekend, that’s really good signs,” Shastri was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

“With youth on his side there might just be a case where he might recover quicker,” he added.

Shaw made a dreamlike debut after he scored a century against the Windies at home.

He landed awkwardly while fielding in a Sydney warm-up match against Cricket Australia XI. His left ankle was heavily strapped as he limped around the Adelaide Oval last week. But later he was spotted jogging around the sidelines, although still wearing a protective brace.

Shaw was set to open the batting alongside either KL Rahul or Murali Vijay in Adelaide. In his absence, those two were paired together.

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