As Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the 18-man squad for the remaining two Test matches against England, on Wednesday, the two names that caught the eye were that of Prithvi Shaw and Hanuma Vihari; not that the exclusions of Murali Vijay and Kuldeep Yadav weren’t a surprise!

As BCCI announced the squad for the 4th and 5th Test match, it seemed like the board was determined to infuse young blood in the team. With Murali Vijay looking out of sorts, and the overcast conditions going against Kuldeep Yadav’s selection, it was only fitting to add young players in the squad, keeping in mind the upcoming overseas tours, especially the one Down Under, in mind.

Vijay was rightly dropped after a string of poor performances. In his last 11 innings, he had six-single digit scores. And with him being 34, Vijay’s international career sure seems to be in jeopardy. With Shaw’s inclusion in the squad and his exploits as an opener for India A, the Indian think-tank is undoubtedly looking forward to grooming a younger opening batsman.

From his debut with Mumbai in 2017, to captain India to victory in the U-19 World Cup, Prithvi Shaw has come a long way. Delhi Daredevils also brought him in the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL), where his batting performances showed a lot of promise. His inclusion in the India A teams, of late, has reaped rich dividends for both India as well as him.

As for Hanuma Vihari, his call-up was a long time coming. After scoring a truckload of runs in the domestic cricket consistently, it was evident that he would be selected in the Indian team, sooner or later. At the moment, he has the best batting average in first-class cricket.

Vihari averages 59.45 currently; the next-best in the list is Steve Smith, who averages 57.27. The other current cricketers in the list, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli are all somewhere between 53 and 55.

Both Shaw and Vihari are handed chances on the back of their consistent performances in the domestic circuit, and while playing for India A.

With the exclusion of Kuldeep Yadav, the team management has also sent a signal that Ravindra Jadeja is back as the second-best spinner in the team. Currently ranked at 3 in the latest ICC Test bowler rankings, Jadeja has been out of favour for quite a long time now.

Will Prithvi Shaw or Hanuma Vihari make it to the first XI during the ongoing Test series, is for the Indian team management is to decide. For now, with their inclusion, the BCCI has sent out a strong message, i.e. selection on merit basis only!

India Squad for 4th and 5th Test Matches against England:

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

The Indian team is 2-1 down after three Tests. Will India carry their stupendous form in the fourth match and level the series, or will England win and take an unassailable lead? The 4th Test between India and England will begin on August 30. Stay tuned with us for the latest updates on India vs England Test Series 2018!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 23, 2018 10:31 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).