 "Shubham Gill, Vijay Shankar to replace Pandya, Rahul in Australia, NZ tour")
Domestic cricket stars Shubham Gill and Vijay Shankar have replaced KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya in the Indian ODI team.
While Shankar will join the Indian squad ahead of their second ODI of the ongoing three-match series against Australia in Adelaide, Gill has been picked for the ODI and T20I series against New Zealand beginning January 23.
The development came after Pandya and Rahul were asked to return from Australia after being suspended for an indefinite period following their controversial remarks against women on a celebrity chat show.
For 19-year-old Gill, it is a maiden Indian call-up coming in the backdrop of his impressive performance in the domestic circuit. The right-hand batsman had had a smashing season in Ranji trophy where he scored 790 runs with an average of 98.75.
Shankar, on the other hand, has been called up for the second time in the national squad. He had made his T20I debut In the Nidahas Trophy which was held in March 2018. The all-rounder finished as the highest run-scorer during India A tour of New Zealand in November.
Meanwhile, Pandya and Rahul have been given seven days to offer an explanation about their alleged misconduct and indiscipline during the chat show to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).