Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have been released from the Indian squad for the ongoing Test series against Sri Lanka after the pair requested so, due to personal reasons.
Kumar is set to miss the remaining two Tests while Dhawan will be back in contention for the final Test according to a statement released by the BCCI on Monday night. Kumar, who was voted man-of-the-match in the Kolkata Test, is understood to be getting married.
Tamil Nadu and Sunrisers Hyderabad all-rounder Vijay Shankar has been named as the replacement for Kumar for the remainder of the series.
No replacement has been named for the opening slot with Murali Vijay expected to return to the spot he had made his own before an injury lay-off saw Dhawan capitalize on his chance in fine fashion.
Shankar meanwhile has been a constant in the India A side which has been involved in a limited-overs series against New Zealand A and a tri-nations series in South Africa. The 26-year-old has played some fine knocks in the India A games which has put him on the selectors’ radar in recent times.
A fine century against Odisha in a Ranji Trophy clash two weeks earlier might well have sealed the verdict in Shankar’s favour. A Test debut though may be hard to come by for the all-rounder with senior pacer Ishant Sharma expected to replace Kumar in India’s pace attack.
NEWS – Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shikhar Dhawan released from Indian Test team. Vijay Shankar has been named as Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s replacement in the squad #INDvSL
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 20, 2017
Thank you everyone for your support & wishes 🙏 Super excited to be a part of #TeamIndia @BCCI #DreamsDoComeTrue pic.twitter.com/GHHb95lGoi
— Vijay Shankar (@vijayshankar260) November 21, 2017
The Tamil Nadu man was understandably excited about his maiden call-up, stating that he had never expected it.
“It feels great. I didn’t expect it. I always wanted to give my best in whatever cricket I play and never have I thought that if I do well in this tournament or competition I will get picked at the next level. It’s a dream come true moment and I’m looking forward to my maiden stint in the Indian dressing-room,” Shankar told Times of India.
The first Test between India and Sri Lanka had been drawn after an exciting end which saw the visitors reduced to 75-7 in pursuit of 231 runs in the final innings before bad light brought a premature end.
The second Test will begin at the Vidarbha Cricket Association stadium in Nagpur on November 24.
India squad for second Test
Virat Kohli (c), KL Rahul, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Vijay Shankar.
