India’s squad for last two tests: Hanuma Vihari and Prithvi Shaw get called up

India’s squad for last two tests: Hanuma Vihari and Prithvi Shaw get called up, Murali Vijay and Kuldeep Yadav left out.

The Indian team is on cloud nine at the moment having won the 3rd Test at Trent Bridge by a comprehensive margin.

And while the Indian players would be celebrating the hard fought win, the Indian selectors have announced the squad for the last two tests, with Murali Vijay and Kuldeep Yadav being shown the door after the first 3 tests.

Vijay hadn’t quite delivered in the first two tests and found himself dropped from the XI for the 3rd test. Kudeep on the other hand had featured in the 2nd Test, but couldn’t quite make an impact with his bowling.

Prithvi Shaw and Hanuma Vihari find a place in the Indian squad, with both these players being rewarded for their brilliant domestic performances.

Shaw has been impressive in his performances for the India A side and Vihari has a domestic average of 59.79 in 63 matches. Vihar’s average is higher than any other player in the Indian domestic circuit.

While the duo will not be able to find a spot in the XI for the 4th test, they would be getting some much needed experience of being with the team during an overseas tour.

Mayank Agarwal though would feel devastated by the call, as he too had put in some brilliant performances for the India A side in the last few months.

For Murali Vijay, the future looks bleak, as he hasn’t quite played well in the last few Tests. Will he be able to make a comeback in the Test arena at this age?

For Kuldeep though all is not lost, as the move to send him back seems like a tactical one. The pitches in England aren’t going to offer a lot of assistance to the spinners and it seems like India have made the decision to go in with just one spinner for the next two games. And even if they do go in with two, they have Ravindra Jadeja waiting in the ranks.

There is not update on Bhuvneshwar Kumar yet

India squad: Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Karun Nair, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hanuma Vihari