BCCI finds 2 new faces in Gill & Vijay

Tamil Nadu all-rounder Vijay Shankar on Sunday replaced the suspended Hardik Pandya for India's ongoing ODI series in Australia, while rising star Shubman Gill received his maiden national call-up for the New Zealand tour beginning on January 23.

Shankar is a likely replacement for Pandya while Gill replaces Rahul in the squad for the five ODIs and three T20s in New Zealand. Both Pandya and Rahul have been suspended pending inquiry for their controversial comments on women during a TV show.

The inclusion of the highly-rated Gill was a matter of time and he has got his big break sooner than expected.

Gill was part of the India A squad that toured New Zealand last month.

The top-order batsman is in sublime form and scored 790 runs for Punjab in the Ranji Trophy, averaging 98.75. He was also named player of the tournament following India's win in the U-19 World Cup in New Zealand last year. Mayank Agarwal was in line to replace his Karnataka teammate Rahul but he is nursing a niggling injury.