India Tour of Sri Lanka: Shubman Gill’s untimely injury has put not only the team management in England but also in Sri Lanka in a fix. But the team management in Sri Lanka isn’t happy with the BCCI’s lack of communication over Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal. Under coach Rahul Dravid and captain Shikhar Dhawan, India’s white-ball specialist team will play three ODIs and as many T20Is with Shaw and Padikkal at the core of it, fighting for the opening slot. But with both the openers being considered for Virat Kohli’s Test team in India, they are left frustrated with no communication.
As Virat Kohli and team management in England have asked for a suitable opener as a replacement for Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal are the two who are in consideration. But both being on the tour of Sri Lanka and an integral part of the Shikhar Dhawan-led squad’s planning, losing either of them will have an impact on the series. Thus, Rahul Dravid & Co want a clear communication from BCCI about whether either of them or both of them need to leave for England. At present, they have no idea whether either of them will be available for the Sri Lanka series which starts on July 13.
India Tour of Sri Lanka: “Even if they don’t have to travel and the BCCI is not considering replacements for England, at least not these two names, then the board can at least convey a clear ‘no’ on the matter and put an end to it,” sources told TOI.
As per a TOI report, the team management in England sent an email to the Chetan Sharma-led selection committee asking for two replacements for Shubman Gill, one opener and another batsman. The replacement opener will be a backup to Mayank Agarwal as Abhimanyu Easwaran isn’t considered ready to take up the role and the tour is for two and half months.
India Tour of Sri Lanka: While both Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal can still travel after the Sri Lanka series, they will have to spend 14-day mandatory quarantine in the UK. Hence, they will miss the first two matches of the Test series.
Also Read: India tour of Sri Lanka: Manish Pandey, SuryaKumar Yadav shine in intra-squad practice match
“The BCCI president hasn’t yet received any formal request about sending Shaw and Padikkal to the UK. They are in Sri Lanka for the white ball series but obviously after it ends on July 26, both can be flown in. But I think team management wants them to join before entering the bio-bubble in Durham,” sources told PTI.
India Tour of Sri Lanka: With Rahul Dravid in Sri Lanka as the head coach for the first time, he expected clarity on communication from the board and plan accordingly for the series. However, as it stands, the team management will need to wait longer to have clarity on Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal’s availability.
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