India opener Prithvi Shaw has been recalled to their Test squad ahead of the two-match series against New Zealand. He comes in as a like-for-like replacement for Rohit Sharma, who has been ruled out of the tour with a calf injury.

Shaw, who has played just two Tests so far, has already impressed in his nascent international career. The 20-year-old has two fifty-plus scores in three Test innings, including a hundred on debut against West Indies in 2018. He averages 118.50 in the format, having scored 237 runs across two Tests.

Shaw registered impressive performances in India A's recent tour of New Zealand, smashing a 150 against New Zealand XI before notching up two 40-plus scores in the List A games against New Zealand A. He returns to the Test squad after more than 15 months: he first picked up an ankle injury ahead of India's tour of Australia in 2018-19 and was then handed a doping ban.

🔹 Prithvi Shaw returns

🔹 Shubman Gill retains his spot



India have named their Test squad for the two-match series against New Zealand 👇 pic.twitter.com/yjcfJJOr0u — ICC (@ICC) February 4, 2020

Shubman Gill, Shaw's India U19 teammate, retains his place in the side. The 20-year-old was excellent in India A's first-class game against New Zealand A in Christchurch, scoring of 83 and 204* across two innings. He has not made his Test debut so far, but has an average of 71.32 in first-class cricket.

Left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav has been left out of the squad, while right-arm pacer Navdeep Saini has been called up. He was a part of India's Test squad on their tour of West Indies last year, but could not break into the playing XI.

The visitors have decided to go with two frontline spinners in the experienced R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, with Hanuma Vihari coming in as the part-time spin option. The rest of the squad have retained their spot, with Virat Kohli at the helm and Ajinkya Rahane as his deputy.

JUST IN: Mayank Agarwal has been named as a replacement for Rohit Sharma for New Zealand ODIs.#NZvIND pic.twitter.com/c4tcQIZOgB — ICC (@ICC) February 4, 2020

Senior pacer Ishant Sharma has retained his place in the squad, but his availability is subject to fitness. MRI scans had recently revealed that Sharma has incurred a grade 3 ankle tear, and he will only be picked if he regains full-match fitness before the Tests.

Squad: Virat Kohli (c), Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha, Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Navdeep Saini, Ishant Sharma (subject to fitness)