England vs India: Former selector Sarandeep Singh 'surprised' by Abhimanyu Easwaran's selection, says Prithvi Shaw should have been included

The Indian team’s selection committee chose 20 members to fly to England for the ICC World Test Championship 2021 final and the subsequent five-match Test series against the English team. Apart from the 20 members, the Chetan Sharma-led selection committee also selected four reserve players in the squad.

Former Indian selector Sarandeep Singh has criticized the selection committee’s verdict around not selecting Prithvi Shaw in the Test squad. The former Indian cricketer went on to say that he was surprised to see Abhimanyu Easwaran’s selection. The Bengal batsman has been named in the squad as one of the four reserves and could be seen coming into the squad if the team needs an opening batsman. 

According to Sarandeep, Shaw should have been preferred in the side, as he is has the experience of playing at the international level. He further went on to say that he even thought about the young and talented Karnataka batsman, Devdutt Padikkal. As it turns out, both Shaw and Padikkal are currently in Sri Lanka for the limited-overs tour with a separate squad. 

You need to reward domestic performances: Sarandeep Singh

“I am surprised with Easwaran’s selection. I thought Prithvi Shaw is an experienced player at the international level and has played Tests. He is currently in form also. He should have been included. I would have even thought of Devdutt Padikkal because you need to reward domestic performances too,” Sarandeep was quoted as saying by Times Now.

Prithvi Shaw made his Test debut in 2018 at home against West Indies. The Mumbai batsman started his career with a bang, scoring a century on debut. However, his career didn’t take off due to multiple reasons. During the Australian tour of 2020-21, he was experiencing a lack of form, which made the team management drop him after the first Test. He has not been called up for the Test squad since. 

Sarandeep Singh was a part of the selection committee that selected chose Prithvi Shaw for his Test and ODI debut. Shaw has played five Tests so far, scoring 339 runs at an average of 42.38. He has also featured in 3 ODIs, scoring 84 runs at an average of 28.00.