After Shubman Gill had an amazing series in Australia, things started looking good on the opening front for India. With Rohit Sharma in form, India could once again rely on their batting to come good. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been all that simple.
Shubman Gill was found wanting against the moving ball at the top for India. His tendency to fall over – Ross Taylor’s style – to an incoming delivery has exposed a few chinks in his armor. Therefore, his participation in the upcoming 5-match Test series against England became uncertain.
According to the latest reports, Shubman Gill seems to have suffered an internal injury. This all but confirms that India needs another player to fit in the opening slot.
We take a look at 3 players who can replace Shubman Gill against England:
1) Mayank Agarwal
The most obvious choice that comes to mind is the like-for-like replacement, Mayank Agarwal. The Karnataka batsman was India’s primary choice for most of the World Test Championship. However, a dip in form at the worst possible time saw him lost his spot to Shubman Gill.
It looks as the stars have aligned for Mayank finally and he might make a comeback at the top of the order. Having already played in tough conditions like Australia, Mayank has what it takes to excel in English conditions. He’s already part of the Indian squad that traveled to the UK.
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2) KL Rahul
The next strongest choice on the list is another Karnataka batsman, KL Rahul. The stylish batsman hasn’t had the best of careers in the longest format, but his excellent form in the limited-overs can earn him a place in the side. He was part of the 2018 squad that toured England and lost 1-4.
Rahul has played 5 matches in England, scoring 299 runs at an average of 29.90. He has the highest score of 149 that he amassed at The Oval. Not to mention all of his five centuries have come at the opening slot. He might have been tried at different positions according to the team’s needs but Rahul thrives best at the top of the order.
3) Abhimanyu Easwaran
The last on the list is the domestic run-machine, Abhimanyu Easwaran. The 25-year-old caught the eye of the selectors after his stellar 2018-19 Ranji season. He aggregated 861 runs in six matches at an average of 95.66 and was the leading run-scorer for Bengal. In first-class matches, Abhimanyu averages 43.6 having scored 4401 runs.
Abhimanyu was named as a standby player for India’s home series against England. Unfortunately, he didn’t get a chance back then. Nevertheless, he’s once again named as a standby player for the England series. If an opportunity arises, the youngster can make the most of it owing to his domestic experience.
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