India's opening batsman Murali Vijay and wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav have been dropped from the last two Tests against England after their disappointing performance in the ongoing Test series.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Wednesday, announced that Prithvi Shaw and G. Hanuma Vihari will be included in the team as replacement for Murali Vijay and Kuldeep Yadav.
Despite a decent average of 39.33 across 59 Test matches, Murali Vijay's dismal performance in the first two Test matches made way for Shikhar Dhawan in the third Test at Trent Bridge, which India won by 203 runs. Kuldeep Yadav, meanwhile, has been sent home to play for India A team in two four-day matches against Australia A.
Prithvi Shaw had led the India U-19 to World Cup triumph earlier this year. The 18-year-old, along with Vihari, had put up a consistent show in India A team's recent tour of the UK. This is the maiden Test call-up for both players.
The fourth Test begins on August 30 at the Rose Bowl in Southampton. England leads the Test series 2-1.
Squad: Virat Kohli (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, K.L. Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice captain), Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Hanuma Vihari.