Former Indian wicket-keeper batsman Deep Dasgupta has picked Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul to replace injured Shubman Gill for the upcoming 5 match Test Series against England.

Deep Dasgupta believes that Mayank is a better choice than KL Rahul to open in English conditions. Deep Dasgupta feels Rahul hasn’t focused on his defensive techniques lately.

Cricketer turned commentator said Rahul is a better choice for middle-order batting. As he can utilize his attacking instincts to good use. In a video uploaded on his YouTube channel on Saturday Deep asserted:

“There are two straightforward options – Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul. My vote goes for Mayank Agarwal because, yes, he did have two or three bad performances but overall, I think his Test career has been really impressive – in India and especially overseas. For KL Rahul, see, he has opened or played in the top order throughout his life whether it’s for Karnataka or India in red-ball or white-ball cricket.”

Deep Dasgupta further added on this matter and said:

“But the way he has been playing white-ball cricket, his technique has changed a bit, he’s become more attacking. His attacking technique has improved but his defensive technique… he hasn’t paid that much attention to it. That’s why I feel that KL Rahul, as far as red-ball cricket is concerned, is a very good middle-order option.”

Slow and steady 🐢 pic.twitter.com/ho4kBtp7QR

— K L Rahul (@klrahul) July 2, 2021

 

21-year-old Shubman Gill has encountered a shin injury in England. As of now The expected recovery time is at least eight weeks. KL Rahul last played the purest form of the game in 2019. On the other hand, Mayank Agarwal was recently part of the Australia series where he featured as a middle-order batsman in Gabba.

“Hanuma Vihari can also open if needed” – Deep Dasgupta

 

The 44-year-old Deep also talked about some unconventional’ opening choices. He stated middle-order batsman Hanuma Vihari can play as an opener “if needed”. Notably, Vihari opened for India during the 2018-19 Border Gavaskar Trophy.

“If you see a bit out of the box, then we have Hanuma Vihari, who has opened before and can do it again if needed. He has the technique to do it. There’s one more option as well.” – Deep Dasgupta

Deep Dasgupta further stated that reserve batsman Abhimanyu Easwaran can also be India’s opening batsman choice. He asserted:

“If Shubman Gill isn’t available then Abhimanyu Easwaran is also available with the team. His last First-Class season wasn’t that great but his career average is over 40, he’s been absolutely brilliant in domestic cricket and for India A.”

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