India suffered an enormous blow forward of their rescheduled Edgbaston Check towards England when skipper Rohit Sharma examined optimistic for Covid-19 only a few days earlier than the all-important Check. The Indian workforce is already with out the companies of standard opener KL Rahul, who’s affected by a groin Damage and Rohit faces a race towards time to make it to the Check that commences on July 1.
India are at the moment main the five-match collection 2-1 and must keep away from defeat to assert the coveted collection towards England. The precise-handed batter was India’s main run-scorer within the collection, with 368 runs to his identify. Underneath the present isolation protocols, the Indian skipper would possibly simply be cleared to play the Check.
Three gamers who can change Rohit Sharma as opener:
1. Hanuma Vihari
The all-rounder is part of the Indian squad and is enjoying within the four-day observe match towards Leicestershire. Hanuma Vihari is a middle-order batter by commerce and is understood for his defiance towards high quality bowling, particularly in robust batting situations.
Vihari is not any stranger to opening the innings for the Indian workforce, as he was one of many designated openers for India alongside Mayank Agarwal within the 2018-19 Check collection in Australia after the struggles of Murali Vijay and KL Rahul within the earlier matches.
The precise-handed batter made his debut towards England on the Oval in 2018, the place he scored a half-century in robust seaming situations.
2. Srikar Bharat
KS Bharat was chosen within the Indian squad as a backup wicketkeeper for Rishabh Pant. The wicketkeeper-batter was one in every of India’s higher performers with the bat within the observe match towards Leicestershire.
The 28-year-old is but to make his debut for the Indian facet and featured in simply two matches for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2022. He’s a helpful batter within the center order and is among the many runs very often within the home circuit.
Bharat has accomplished effectively for the Indian workforce within the ongoing four-day observe match towards Leicestershire, as he scored an unbeaten 70 within the first innings and adopted it up with a powerful 43 within the second innings whereas opening the batting alongside Shubman Gill.
3. Cheteshwar Pujara
Cheteshwar Pujara is the type of batter that each workforce wishes to have. He at all times places the necessities of the groups forward of private batting milestones. His grit and dedication on the pitch are effectively documented.
The 34-year-old bulwark is without doubt one of the senior gamers on the Indian workforce and is essentially the most adept in negotiating the swinging balls in robust English situations. He batted for Leicestershire within the first innings towards India within the ongoing four-day observe Check and even got here out bat for India within the second innings, to the shock of many Indian followers.
Pujara opened the batting for India final yr in a Check towards New Zealand. The precise-handed batter took the function when Shubman Gill didn’t come out to bat within the second innings as a result of sustaining an elbow harm whereas fielding within the match.
