Team India Selection controversy: New controversy: Did the selectors not want to send these two Indian players to England, what will happen now? Was selection committee not interested in sending Prthvi Shaw Devdutt Padikkal to England

The Indian team management in England wanted to keep young openers Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal in the team but questions are being raised whether the chairman of the selection committee Chetan Sharma also wanted the same? Questions are also being raised that how Bengal opener Abhimanyu was kept ‘stand by’ in the team that went to England despite his poor performance in the 2019-20 Ranji season and India A’s tour of New Zealand?

There is no doubt that Easwaran was not ready to play Test cricket and his preference over players like Shaw and Padikkal has raised eyebrows. A source in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) told PTI on condition of anonymity, “Shubman Gill has been ruled out of the entire UK tour due to injury. It will take them at least three months to get fit.

“Last month, the team’s administrative manager had sent a letter to former fast bowler Chetan Sharma asking him to send two other openers to the UK,” he said. The request of the management was not given much attention. It remains to be seen whether the team management makes a formal request to BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and Secretary Jay Shah to send Shaw and Padikkal. Shah is also the convener of the selection committee.

“The BCCI President is yet to receive a formal request to send Shaw and Padikkal,” the source said. Both the batsmen are currently in Sri Lanka for the limited overs series but both may go to the UK after the tour ends on July 26. But I think the team management wants to add him first.

In fact, Sauv and Padikkal could have reached England on time for the practice match if Sharma had heeded to the team management’s request last month. Asked whether the team management specifically asked Sauv to be sent, the source said, “Let them do the official mail and then that can be taken forward.” Apart from this, Prithvi is currently a member of the limited overs team in Sri Lanka and his focus is on this series. There have been 23 players on the UK tour and even if we don’t count Easwaran, he still has three specialist openers. ”

On giving priority to Easwaran over Prithvi, a former selector said, “As far as Easwaran and Prithvi’s qualifications are concerned, they cannot even be compared. Prithvi is miles ahead of Easwaran in skill and it should not be forgotten that he has scored a Test century and is in good form now. He should have been in England not in Sri Lanka.