Krunal, Chahar Replace Injured Washington, Bumrah in England T20s

Krunal and his brother Hardik Pandya will become the third brothers to play for India.

File photo of Krunal Pandya who has been picked in India’s T20 squad against England

(Photo: IANS)

All-rounder Krunal Pandya and medium pacer Deepak Chahar earned their maiden call up in the Indian squad to replace injured Washington Sundar and Jasprit Bumrah for the three-match Twenty20 series against England, starting Tuesday at Manchester.

Whiler Krunal and Deepak were included just for the T20 series, left-arm spinner Axar Patel has been named as Washington's replacement for the three-match ODI series that starts at Nottingham on June 12.

Krunal and and his brother Hardik Pandya will be the the third brother duo to represent India after Mohinder Amarnath and Surinder Amarnath and Pathan brothers -- Irfan and Yusuf.

"The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Krunal Pandya as Washington Sundar's replacement in India's T20I side and Axar Patel in the ODI side for the upcoming limited-overs series against England," BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary said in a statement.

Washington Sundar celebrates a wicket with Dinesh Karthik during the T20 series against Sri Lanka in March, 2018.(Photo: BCCI)

Sundar has been ruled out of the entire limited overs series against England after injuring his right ankle during Indian team's training session at the Malahide Cricket Club, Dublin on June 26.

Bumrah, on the other hand, has a fractured left thumb and has been ruled out of the upcoming T20I series against England. He suffered the injury during India's first T20I against Ireland.

Krunal has been rewarded for his consistent performances for Mumbai Indians in the last two editions of the IPL, while Chahar got rewarded for his good performance in the domestic tournaments and the ongoing India A team's tour of England.

Chahar is currently playing for India A squad in England in the 50-over tri-series, featuring England Lions and West Indies A.

After three games in the series, Chahar was on top of India's wicket taking chart, with seven wickets at 12.71 and an economy rate of 4.04.

Chahar came into the limelight following his good show with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) where he picked up 10 wickets in 12 games and was also their second-most economical bowler (economy rate: 7.28).

Meanwhile, the selectors have also included Rishabh Pant in India A squad for the four-day matches. Currently a member of the India A squad for the one-day games, Pant will continue to be with the side for the longer format too.