Team India had sent back Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul before the start of the ODI series against Australia. Their inappropriate comments on the talk show Koffee with Karan didn’t go down well with BCCI. As a result, the duo was sent back to India for an inquiry. As their replacements, Shubman Gill and Vijay Shankar will join the Indian team.
While Shankar will fly to Australia immediately to be a part of the squad before the 2nd ODI. He will continue to be in the side for the New Zealand tour as well. On the other hand, Gill will join the squad for the tour of New Zealand in both ODIs and T20Is.
Rahul and Pandya have been given 7 days to explain why proceedings shouldn’t be initiated against them for misconduct and indiscipline under Rule 41 of the BCCI Constitution. Initially, there were speculations that they would be banned for 2 matches. But the suspension became bigger as they miss both the Australia ODIs as well as the New Zealand tour that follows.
Also Read: Funniest memes on the Pandya-Rahul controversy
Maiden call-up for Shubman Gill
It’s the first time that Shubman Gill has earned a call-up to the national squad. He has been performing consistently well in the domestic circuit as well as for India A. He had earned a name for himself in the Under-19 World Cup last year that was played in New Zealand. It’s the same country where he gets picked first for the Indian team.
He has been a prolific run-getter in the last one year or so. Also, he had an impressive outing in the Indian Premier League while representing Kolkata Knight Riders. Vijay Shankar, on the other hand, had represented India in 5 T20Is and featured in the Nidahas Trophy last year.
Stay updated with all the cricketing action, follow Cricadium on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
