Wasim Jaffer shares Bollywood meme as reports emerge that Prithvi Shaw could be sent to England
Former India Test opener Wasim Jaffer has shared a funny meme on his Twitter account, with reports claiming that Prithvi Shaw could be sent to England as Shubman Gill's replacement. Gill has apparently sustained a stress fracture to his shin and is likely to be on the sidelines for a while.
Media reports started doing the rounds on Saturday, claiming that the Indian team management wants in-form opener Prithvi Shaw to be flown to England for the upcoming five-Test series. Shaw is currently in Sri Lanka, having been selected for the limited-overs series against the Islanders. Apparently, Team India have already submitted a formal request to the BCCI for Shaw’s inclusion.
Taking to his official Twitter account on Monday, Jaffer shared a meme from the Bollywood film Phool Aur Kaante. The image is a re-imagined version of the famous scene in which Ajay Devgn is seen balancing on two bikes.
While Devgn has been named as Prithvi, the two bikes have been termed ENGvIND and SLvIND. Jaffer shared the meme with the caption:
"Go well @PrithviShaw #SLvIND #ENGvIND”
Shaw was dropped from the Indian Test team after the Adelaide Test debacle in which he looked completely out of sorts. Earlier, Shaw had also struggled on the tour of New Zealand. The Mumbai youngster roared back to form with a record 800-plus runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He was also in smashing form for Delhi Capitals in the first half of IPL 2021.
Selection committee against sending Shaw to England?
Following reports that the Indian team management in England wants Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal to join the team for the Test series, it has emerged that the selection committee might not be thinking on similar lines.
A BCCI source was quoted as telling PTI on condition of anonymity:
"Shubman Gill has been ruled out of the entire Test series in the UK with shin splints that will take minimum three months to heal. The team's administrative manager, at the end of last month, had sent an e-mailed requisition to former pacer (Chetan) Sharma asking for two more openers to be sent to the UK."
The report added that Sharma, the chairman of selectors, is not likely to accept the request. The next move will be to forward the same request to BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah. The source added:
"The BCCI president hasn't yet received any formal request about sending Shaw and Padikkal to the United Kingdom. They are in Sri Lanka for the white ball series but obviously after it ends on July 26, both can be flown in. But I think, team management wants them to join before entering the bio-bubble in Durham."
India will play five Tests in England, starting in Nottingham on August 4. Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul are already in England as opening options while Abhimanyu Easwaran is also in the squad as a standby.