Indian captain Rohit Sharma, who is currently struggling to get back to form, in the recently concluded India vs New Zealand series, where India saw a shocking defeat on home soil as the visitors tumbled the Indian camp by winning all three games, Sharma scored just 91 runs in six innings, something you don’t expect from the Hitman. Now, with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy approaching, there are chances that Rohit Sharma may not travel with Team India to Australia, and he could miss the first Test match. The Indian team will leave in two batches, on Sunday and Monday. Although the BCCI hasn’t given any information on Rohit’s availability for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, it is expected that he will not take part in the first game. So, if this scenario occurs, who are the players who can take Rohit Sharma‘s place and open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal? See three players who could open the Indian innings with Yashasvi Jaiswal if the Hitman doesn’t play in the first Test match.
Players who can open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal in BGT series
KL Rahul
Although KL Rahul has impressed coming down the order in white-ball cricket, but we must not forget his strong experience as an opener in Test cricket as well. In the 75 innings he has played as an opener in Test cricket, he scored 2,551 runs with a decent average of 34.95. He could be the one to get the chance as opener. Although in recent games against Australia A, Rahul failed miserably as an opener, his experience makes him a strong contender to replace Rohit Sharma. However, more than Rahul’s name, one batter who has shown consistent performance in domestic cricket, Abhimanyu Easwaran, could also pose a challenge for Rahul. Easwaran is dominating the domestic scene. In 101 first-class matches, Easwaran has scored 7,674 runs, with an average of 48.87, which includes 27 centuries.
Shubman Gill
Can India give Shubman Gill his old position? Although it is true that Gill himself has said that the No. 3 position suits him, since last year, starting from the West Indies tour, he has been playing at No. 3. However, given his decent amount of experience as an opener in white-ball cricket, Shubman Gill could be given an opportunity to open for India. Not to forget, Gill has played some of his best innings when India toured Australia in the 2020-21 series. If given the chance, he could once again become a nemesis for Australia.
Rishabh Pant
We have seen how in the past, Virender Sehwag was given the opportunity to open and immediately rose to the top with his aggressive batting in Test cricket. The same could happen with Rishabh Pant if he gets the call to play as an opener for India in Test cricket. Known for his aggressive batting, we have witnessed how lethal Pant can be. If given the chance to open the batting for India, Pant could be dangerous for the Australian cricket team, providing India with a strong start and possibly taking the charge forward. We may see some surprises in India’s lineup by pushing Pant to the top.
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