India vs England: ‘No replacement’ for Shubman Gill is selectors’ call, says Sourav Ganguly

Chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma, till a couple of days back, hadn't sent any formal reply to that mail as four openers are already in the UK.

The Board of Control for Cricket in Indian (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly on Thursday (July 8) tried to steer clear of the controversy surrounding the national selectors’ decision to not send a replacement for injured opener Shubman Gill in England, saying it was a matter for the selection committee to consider. The Indian team management on June 28, through administrative manager Girish Dongre, had requested for two openers as replacement, preferably Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal. But chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma, till a couple of days back, hadn't sent any formal reply to that mail as four openers are already in the UK. When asked about the contentious issue, Ganguly, while addressing reporters on his 49th birthday on Thursday, said: “That's selectors’ call.” Both Shaw and Padikkal are currently in Sri Lanka with India’s white-ball squad under Shikhar Dhawan for a six-match series. Under regular skipper Virat Kohli, India is set to play a five-match Test series against England, starting August 4. The red-ball battle is also the first series of the second cycle of World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23.