According to reports, Ruturaj Gaikwad would be replaced as the stand-by player in India's World Test Championship final lineup by the young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal. Gaikwad, Mukesh Kumar, and Suryakumar Yadav were included on the BCCI's list of reserves for the massive match against Australia at The Oval in London.
Gaikwad reportedly told the BCCI that he wouldn't be able to go to London before June 5 since he was getting married.
The WTC final will begin on June 7, hence head coach Rahul Dravid has requested a substitute from the BCCI.
“Gaikwad has informed us that he won't be able to fly due to his marriage, so he (Jaiswal) will be joining the Indian team,” says Gaikwad. He might join the group after June 5. Rahul Dravid, the team's coach, then called and asked the selectors to choose a substitute. Jaiswal will thus soon board a flight for London, according to a BCCI official.
The cricketer from Mumbai, who represented the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL in 2023, attracted recognition for his dependable performance with the bat. The southpaw's robust 48.08 average let him score 625 runs in 14 games. The fastest fifty in IPL history, a century and 13 balls were both recorded by the RR opener.
Jaiswal also had a respectable performance in the Ranji Trophy last year, scoring 404 runs in five games.
The first group of athletes has already arrived in London to begin getting ready for the monumental match against Australia.
Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma are both expected to fly out to England early on Sunday, according to the reporter. Suryakumar, a standby, is not yet known whether he would go with both Rohit and Ishan or if he will join the team later.
While Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara is already in England for his County stint, players like Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Umesh Yadav, and Mohammed Siraj have begun practicing for the championship game.
The following players will represent India in the WTC championship game: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat
