Prithvi Shaw had earlier been called up for the England Tests. (Source: (Express File Photo) Prithvi Shaw had earlier been called up for the England Tests. (Source: (Express File Photo) Prithvi Shaw will be handed the India Test cap on the morning of October 4 at Rajkot prior to the opening Test against West Indies. BCCI on Wednesday confirmed a 12-man squad for the opening Test of the two-match series. Shaw will become the 293rd player to wear the India Test cap. Virat Kohli will lead the side having been rested for the Asia Cup ODI tournament in the UAE – which India won by beating Bangladesh in the final. In the 12-player squad, there is no space for Mayank Agarwal or Hanuma Vihari – who had played against England and picked up three wickets. The decision will come down to whether the team management goes for three spinners – R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav or three seamers – Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur for a six batsman and five bowler combination. Should the choice be in favour of another seamer, Shardul will be recepient of the Test cap as well. The Mumbaikar Shaw came ahead of Agarwal in the queue when he was selected for the last two Tests on the tour of England. Now with Shikhar Dhawan dropped, Shaw has been given the debut ahead of Agarwal. Shaw, 18, has scored 1,418 runs in 14 First-Class matches at an impressive average of 56.72. Shaw has seven centuries and five fifties to his name with a high score of 188 runs against West Indies for India A. And he has done so in an attacking fashion while going at a strike rate of 76.69. Vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane said he wanted Shaw to play his natural attacking game for the upcoming series. “I’m definitely happy for him. I’ve been following him since his young days for Mumbai, we practised together. He’s an attacking opening batsman. He’s been doing so well for Mumbai, India A on a consistent basis, so that’s the reward he got. I’m sure he’ll do well,” Rahane said. “I wish him good luck and I am sure he will do well. I just want him to play as he has been doing for Mumbai and India A and I think he will be fine,” Rahane added. India 12-man squad for 1st Test: Virat Kohli (c), KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw (debut), Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur.<doc-sep>READ ALSO: RAJKOT: Teenage prodigy Prithvi Shaw is set to open alongside KL Rahul in the first Test against the West Indies after India on Wednesday started the practice of naming their final XII before the start of every game.The move of naming the final XII ahead of the game has more or less settled the debate on the playing eleven.Shaw, who earned a maiden call-up midway into the England tour but did not get a game, has been preferred over Mayank Agarwal for the series opener.Agarwal had broken into the team after scoring tons of runs in domestic cricket and at India A level. What is also clear now is that India will go in with five specialist bowlers and the most likely 12th man will be Shardul Thakur.Three specialist spinners -- Ravichandran Ashwin , Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav -- have been picked and the pace pairing will be of Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav.Hanuma Vihari, who had a made gritty 56 on debut at The Oval against England, has been dropped.Wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant will bat at six while Jadeja will be expected to make vital lower-order contributions in the absence of injured all-rounder Hardik Pandya.The West Indies series presents a good opportunity for Shaw to make his case for the upcoming Australia tour as pointed out by captain Virat Kohli , who said the top-order is the only area where experimentation is needed.It will be a dream come true for Shaw when he walks out to bat here. The 18-year-old's India debut will hardly be a surprise to those who felt the supremely talented batsman was destined to play for the country ever since he started scoring bagful of runs in school cricket in Mumbai.And when Shaw led the India U-19 to the Word Cup title in New Zealand earlier this year, it was only a matter of time before he graduated to the highest level.Another strong indicator of his rare talent is his first-class record. In 14 games, he averages 56.72 and has made seven hundreds and five half-centuries including a ton on Ranji Trophy debut in November 2016. And almost a year later, he became the youngest to reach three figures on Duleep Trophy debut.There was an intense debate on the opening combination going into the first Test since India had dropped Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan for young blood. The picture on whether Shaw or Agarwal will open alongside Rahul only became clear after Kohli's pre-match press conference.Both the uncapped openers had batted in the nets on Tuesday and even on Wednesday morning the mystery remained as Shaw took gentle throw downs.Local hero Cheteshwar Pujara and vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane spent the maximum time in the nets.It all became clear with the announcement of final XII as India took the cue from the likes of Australia, who name their final eleven before the start of the match.<doc-sep>Young Mumbai batsman Prithvi Shaw is all set to make his Test debut for India in the upcoming series against West Indies. Shaw, who also part the Indian squad for the last two Test matches against England, will in all probability walk out with KL Rahul to face the new ball in Rajkot. The young man, in an interview with Indian Express, said that he spoke with captain Virat Kohli and tried to pick his brains about scoring runs in tough conditions. Kohli was in irresistible form in England and peeled off 593 runs in five Tests at an average of 59.30 with two hundreds and three half-centuries. Shaw said that Kohli told him to always put the team ahead of personal ambitions. “Batting ke time, England me swing hota hai. So the opposition played with lot of mind. They knew where to bowl and how to bowl to each batsman. I asked Kohli how he managed to score all those runs. He told me that he always puts the team before him. Woh hunger apne aap aa jata hai,” Shaw was as quoted by Indian Express. Speaking about the pressure which will be on the young man when he makes his Test debut, Shaw said that he always thinks about what Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar have told him and tries to stay in the present. “When such thought process come I just recall what Sachin sir and Rahul Sir have told me. Just let be in present. Rahul sir always say 200 runs which I have scored is past now, I can’t change that, so be in present,” Shaw said.<doc-sep>Prithvi Shaw struck a hundred against West Indies A. (Source: File Photo) Prithvi Shaw struck a hundred against West Indies A. (Source: File Photo) India vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane hinted on Tuesday that teenage sensation Prithvi Shaw could be in line for a Test debut against West Indies. However, Rahane also cautioned his fellow Mumbaikar from curbing his attacking style of batsmanship in case he makes the cut in the playing eleven on Thursday. “I am happy for Shaw. I have seen him since his young days, we used to practice together, he is an attacking opener and done well for India A and got the reward,” Rahane said at the pre-match press conference. When asked who would partner L Rahul in the opening Test in Rajkot Rahane did not divulge any information and said, “Personally we don’t know the combination what we are going to play. But there is no pressure, it is an opportunity for every individual to express ourselves. I wish him good luck and I am sure he will do well. I just want him to play as he has been doing for Mumbai and India A and I think he will be fine.” “It is a good opportunity particularly for youngsters like Prithvi, Mayank, and Siraj as they have all done well in domestic cricket. So as a batsman they can score runs, as a bowler they can pick wickets. It is all about going out there and giving your best without thinking much about future,” he added. Personal form Rahane had a mediocre English summer after which he returned to play domestic cricket. Reflecting on it the 30-year-old said, “After coming back from England, I was just looking to do well for Mumbai at that point of time and get some match practice (although it was white ball cricket) ahead of the West Indies series. Vijay Hazare was a good match practice for me. “I always believe whether it is a domestic, international or practice match, it brings a different pressure and I think it helped me to prepare. I am really confident and looking forward to doing well and keep contributing towards my team,” he added. Looking at the road ahead Applauding the Indian side for winnings the Asia Cup he said, “It was a great achievement and players, who got an opportunity there did well, but this is a new series and we can’t take them lightly. We have to focus to improve our own game.” “No matter whom we play, whether it is Australia, England or West Indies, it is important to improve our own standard. Our goal will be to play some good cricket, definitely to dominate from the first match and improvement as a batsman, as a bowler and as a team, that would be the focus,” he concluded.<doc-sep>
In a first, the Indian team announced the 12-man squad for the first Test against West Indies in Rajkot on Wednesday. While Mayank Agarwal and Mohammed Siraj have been left out of the squad, Prithvi Shaw is set to make his debut at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Thursday. The squad read: Virat Kohli (captain), KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw (debut), Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur. It comes as no surprise that the team management decided to go in with three spinners and they are all likely to play with Umesh and Shardul fighting it out for the second fast bowler’s slot. Young Mumbai batsman Shaw was also part of the Indian squad for the last two Test matches against England, but didn’t get an opportunity as the team management decided to persist with Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul. Interestingly, with the team management deciding to go back to the 5-bowler theory, Hanuma Vihari will have to warm the bench despite a gritty show in his debut Test against England at the Oval. Shaw had revealed that he spoke with captain Virat Kohli and tried to pick his brains about scoring runs in tough conditions during the England series. Kohli was in irresistible form in England and hit 593 runs in five Tests at an average of 59.30 with two hundreds and three half-centuries. Shaw said that Kohli told him to always put the team ahead of personal ambitions. “Batting ke time, England me swing hota hai. So the opposition played smartly. They knew where to bowl and how to bowl to each batsman. I asked Kohli how he managed to score all those runs. He told me that he always puts the team before him. Woh hunger apne aap aa jata hai,” Shaw was as quoted by Indian Express. Speaking about the pressure of making his debut for India, Shaw said that he always thought about what Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar had told him and tries to stay in the present. “When such thought process come I just recall what Sachin Sir and Rahul Sir have told me. Just be in the present. Rahul Sir always say 200 runs which I have scored is past now, I can’t change that, so be in present,” Shaw said.