Picture Credit: BCCI
In a major development coming in with regards to India’s tour of England, it is now being learned that opener Shubman Gill will be flying back home boarding with two shin splints - medial tibial stress syndrome - that have been diagnosed as a result of stress-related workload. It is further being learned that Gill did not get injured during any training session but his injury is a consequence of off-field training workload, a common phenomenon among top-level athletes.
It is further being reported that Team India wants Prithvi Shaw to be flown to England at the earliest and is even looking to officially request the BCCI for the same. While Mayank Agarwal and Abhimanyu Easwaran are already available, the team wants Shaw to get another run at the top of the order post his recent success in limited-overs cricket.
KL Rahul being looked at as a middle-order backup: Reports
While opener Mayank Agarwal had a successful run as an opener between 2018 and 2019, he is also part of the 24-member squad in the United Kingdom. The other candidate for the vacant opener’s slot is Easwaran with 64 First-Class matches under his belt but is yet to make his international debut.
Moreover, sources close to the team suggest that they are looking at KL Rahul as a backup option only in the middle order and certainly not as an opener for now. The primary worry for the team is if either Rohit Sharma or Mayank Agarwal become unavailable for one or more Test. However, any decision needs to be taken quickly as Shaw is currently in Sri Lanka as he has been included in the limited-overs tour of the island nation.