In-form youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal is set to replace Ruturaj Gaikwad as the standby opener in India's squad for the upcoming World Test Championship final (WTC). Gaikwad is getting married on June 3-4 and has informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that he will not be able to fly to the UK before June 5. So, Yashavi has been selected as his replacement in reserve and will soon fly to London to join the rest of the team.
Gaikwad was among three standby players in India's squad for the WTC final and was a specialist backup option to openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. The in-form Maharashtra skipper will be involved in Indian Premier League 2023 (IPL) final on May 28 and is planning to get married before the summit clash against Australia which kicks off on June 7 in London's The Oval.
However, Gaikwad informed the board and team management that he is willing to join the team on June 5. But according to a report, the Indian head coach Rahul Dravid asked the selectors for Gaikwad's replacement
“He (Jaiswal) will be joining the Indian team as Gaikwad has informed us that he won’t be able to fly due to his marriage. He would be able to join the team post-June 5. (But) Coach Rahul Dravid took a call, asking the selectors to pick a replacement. So, Jaiswal will now fly to London soon,” the BCCI official told Indian Express.
Rahul Dravid and his staff are already in London and were recently joined by six Indian players, including former captain Virat Kohli, on May 25.
India's updated squad for WTC Final: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ishan Kishan (wk), Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat
Standby Players: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, Mukesh Kumar
