Mayank and Pant web ST

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As per sources, Indian batter Mayank Agarwal is set to make his comeback to the national team as a backup opener for the one-off 5th Test against England. Agarwal will be a replacement for KL Rahul. The Lucknow Super Giants captain has been ruled out of the England tour because of a groin injury. Wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant is all set to become the vice-captain for the tour. 

According to reports by InsideSport.IN, a senior BCCI official was quoted talking about Agarwal being a backup opening batter, while Pant will be the vice-captain. The official said.  “Mayank has been put on standby for England tour. We have asked the team management if they need a replacement for Rahul. We should get an answer by 19th. In that case, Mayank Agarwal will fly to the UK with the second batch. But it’s not finalised yet. Rishabh will be vice-captain,” 

“Look, it’s very simple. The team always has certain plans with certain players. For example, Hanuma gives strength to the middle-order and if we push him to open if god forbid Shubman gets injured, the balance will be lost. It’s important that we have options ready in adverse situations,” the BCCI official continued. 

What is happening with the Indian Test team?

The first batch of the Indian team comprising Virat Kohli and Jasprit Burmah reached London. Similarly, captain Rohit Sharma is travelling to England today. As mentioned earlier, Rishabh Pant will be named the vice-captain as a replacement for KL Rahul who will be missing the tour due to a groin injury.

The Karnataka batter will soon leave for Germany towards the end of the month to complete his recovery. Mayank Agarwal has been put on standby and he is likely to leave for the UK with the second batch of players on 20 June from Bengaluru. India will start their England tour with a First Class warm-up match against Leicestershire on June 24.

India’s Test squad: 

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohd Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Standby: Mayank Agarwal