Indian batter Mayank Agarwal has been called up by the India team management for the upcoming Edgbaston Test against England which is scheduled to start on Friday, July 1, according to a report by ESPNcricinfo. The 31-year-old top-order star will fly to England on Monday and link up with the rest of the Indian squad by the evening of June 27.
As per the latest government rules, Agarwal will not be required to undergo any quarantine, and will thus be available to play immediately if required.
Agarwal was left out of the original squad for the Edgbaston Test, but an injury to KL Rahul and doubts over Rohit Sharma's availability after the skipper tested positive for Covid-19 makes him the most viable batting option for India.
Agarwal last appeared in the longest format of the game for India back in March during the home series against Sri Lanka, only scored 59 runs in two matches, averaging 19.66. Since then, he has captained Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and has also appeared for Karnataka in their Ranji Trophy quarter-final defeat against Uttar Pradesh.
Agarwal has an underwhelming IPL season, scoring just 196 runs and averaging 16.33 at a strike rate of 122.5. His side went on to finish sixth this season.
"I love the kid. I know how he plays his cricket, how determined he is. But it's putting a guy who is very good at what he does in a wrong place," Shastri had said. "And it can have problems. Serious problems. Serious repercussions. It could have cost him his place in the Indian side. Test side, everything, because the selectors will judge on current form, they will judge on what they actually see," former India head coach Ravi Shastri commented on Agarwal's form.
The upcoming one-off Test in Birmingham is the conclusion of the series from last year which was suspended after a Covid-19 outbreak in the India team.
