Prithvi Shaw has been ruled out of Adelaide test due to an ankle injury. The BCCI has released a statement that the youngster needs some time to recover but hasn”t confirmed his availability for the remaining tests.
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Though a couple of opening combinations are possible from the likes of KL Rahul, Murali Vijay and Parthiv Patel, an absence of a backup opener will hurt the side a lot. Now let”s have a look on several options available for the side and if the BCCI can give them an opportunity.
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4 Possible Replacements Openers For India:-
1. Shikhar Dhawan
The 32-year old left-handed batsman may get a nod taking into consideration his experience. He toured Australia in 2014-15 tour but couldn”t keep up the expectations of the fans. However, consistency of his partner Murali Vijay helped India to register certain big scores on the board.
Dhawan, who has been the primary option for the side for a long time wasn”t able to show his class on the English tour. A swashbuckling century against Afghanistan at home roped him for the overseas tour.
A couple of days ago, Dhawan in an interview revealed that he was a bit down for missing the test squad but kept the focus on enhancing his game. Having adjudged the Man of the series award in a couple of limited over tournaments now, he might get a call to play in whites again.
2. Mayank Agarwal
Certain experts and legends have been backing for the inclusion of this talent into the side. His 2000 odd runs in the previous domestic season couldn”t help him to earn an international call.
Though he received his much-awaited call for the Windies home series, he was very unfortunate to miss out playing XI.
1160 runs with five centuries in his last Ranji outing still remains fresh in the minds of cricket enthusiasts. In fact, his class with a blend of the style of play has attracted a lot of franchises in IPL auction this year.
His figures weren”t up to mark in this edition of Indian Premier League but if selectors can revisit on his Ranji and other state tournaments, his form has been exceptional and it would be interesting if the BCCI might give a thumbs up to him.
3. Faiz Fazal
Probably, he is one of the unluckiest players in the history of Indian cricket. Despite splendid performances for Vidarbha in Ranji tournaments, he wasn”t even given a chance to represent in the longest format of the game till now.
He represented India in his only ODI three years ago amassing a brilliant half-century against Zimbabwe. However, he hasn”t fallen under the Radar of the selectors after that. In the ongoing Ranji Trophy, he scored three centuries in his six innings which can increase his chances for the maiden call-up.
Faiz Fazal in an interview to Cricfit had already said that he is expecting a call soon and will BCCI reply positively to him?
4. Anmolpreet Singh
Former people who don”t even have clue on him, he represents Punjab side in domestic formats. He ended up scoring over 753 runs in the previous edition of Ranji trophy.
A fantastic fielder and a reliable right-handed batsman can also be one of the options for the opening slot for India. He was the fourth highest run scorer for the side last year and scored three centuries in the process.
He was the chief architect behind India”s road to final earlier this year in the under-19 world cup. With age still in his bag, he can be that “future prospect” india has been looking for.
All the above players except Dhawan were the stars of Ranji trophy last year and it would definitely be one of the most – awaited moments for them if given a chance in the absence of Prithvi Shaw.
India will face Australia in the much anticipated four match test series starting December 6. All eye on the top-ranked test side, if they could decimate a depleted Australian side who have been “puzzled” after their recent awful performances.