India vs Australia: Prithvi Shaw ruled out, Mayank Agarwal named as replacement

The worries for India for the opener’s slot have increased further. Both KL Rahul and Murali Vijay are having a torrid time against the Australian quicks. Prithvi Shaw was the first choice opener before the Test series. But he hurt his ankle in the practice match against Cricket Australia XI. The injury had ruled him out of the first 2 Tests.

The youngster was expected to be fit for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. But he has now been ruled out of the series. The extent of the injury is such that he won’t recover. As a replacement, Mayank Agarwal will be flying to Australia. He has been impressive on A tours as well as domestic cricket. Mayank Agarwal was also in the side in the Test series at home against Windies but didn’t get a game.

Indian openers Vijay and Rahul have failed in both the Tests so far. While Rahul has scored 2, 44, 2 and 0 in 4 innings, Vijay’s score read 11, 18, 0, 20. Mayank Agarwal might get into the XI straightaway as India would look to change the opening combination.

Hardik Pandya to join the Indian team in Australia

Another news that has surfaced is that Hardik Pandya will soon join the Indian team in Australia. The all-rounder had encountered a back injury in the Asia Cup 2018. Since then, he has been out of action. After a couple of months, he began practicing again and appeared for Baroda in a Ranji Trophy game against Mumbai.

Pandya took 5 wickets and scored a fifty that proved his fitness. In the press conference after the Ranji game, the captain of Baroda, Kedar Devdhar, confirmed that Hardik will leave for Australia. “He’s not available for our next game, as he’s going to Australia,” said Devdhar.

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