Reports: BCCI considering replacements for Shaw, Suryakumar for England Tests

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced Suryakumar Yadav and Prithvi Shaw as the replacement players for the injured trio of Shubman Gill, Washington Sunder, and Avesh Khan. Yadav and Shaw were all set to travel to England from Sri Lanka this coming week, but the news of all-rounder Krunal Pandya testing positive for COVID-19 put their plans to go for England in jeopardy. The duo was also not part of the playing XI for the team’s second T20I against Sri Lanka on Wednesday.

Yadav and Shaw are currently in isolation and their chances to fly to the United Kingdom anytime soon are under doubt now. Apart from this, even England government’s strict COVID-19 protocols may not allow the duo to enter the country. With the first Test match starting on August 4, this news has come at a bad time for the Indian management.

On Thursday (July 29), a top BCCI official spoke to InsideSport about the team’s plans to announce further replacements for Shaw and Yadav. “We can’t say anything with certainty at this stage. We have to observe them for the next couple of days to decide – whether to announce new replacements or not,” the BCCI official stated.

Shaw and Yadav both performed brilliantly for India during the three ODIs. If the former provided blazing starts upfront, then the latter sizzled with eye-catching stroke play and was named the player of the series. The Indian management hence, duly felt the duo had momentum going and announced them as the replacement players.

Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav may get to play only two Tests if sent to England

With a surge in cases in England, the government had to resort to making stricter norms and restrictions for those entering the country. If Shaw and Yadav are sent from Sri Lanka then they may have to self-isolate for ten days before entering the UK. And according to this rule, the duo then will have to stay in Colombo till August 6 and then leave on August 7.

After touching down in England, the duo will need to quarantine for 10 days, as England has made the rule stricter for those coming in from Sri Lanka and India. In this procedure itself, Shaw and Yadav will miss at least the first three Test matches, and hence BCCI is contemplating announcing further replacements.