Two new caps in India Test squad

India have added uncapped batsmen Prithvi Shaw and Hanuma Vihari to the squad for the fourth and fifth Tests against England.

Opening batsman Murali Vijay and wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who were in the squad for the opening three Tests, have been overlooked.

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has been included despite nursing a hip injury. Seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar is still undergoing rehabilitation amid a lower-back injury.

“Ashwin will be okay,” said coach Ravi Shastri.

“The hip injury is not that bad. This break will be ideal for him. If there was a Test match starting in three days’ time, then it would have been a problem.”

The 18-year-old Shaw, who is also contracted by the Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League, captained his country to the Under-19 World Cup title in February 2018. The 24-year-old Vihari averages 59.79 from 63 first-class matches.

The fourth Test will get underway in Southampton on Thursday, when India will have the chance to build on a comfortable triumph in the third Test at Trent Bridge. England have a two-one lead in the five-match affair, after victories at Edgbaston and Lord’s.

Squad: Virat Kohli (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Karun Nair, Dinesh Karthik, Hanuma Vihari.

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