India’s tour of Bangladesh kick-started with the 50-overs leg on December 4. The first two games of the three-match ODI series have been done and dusted and the hosts have stood tall on both occasions. Courtesy of the wins, the Bangla Tigers have taken an invincible series lead of 2-0.
During the second over of Bangladesh’s innings, Rohit Sharma injured his left thumb while fielding at the second slip. The Indian skipper did not take the field while Litton Das & co. were batting and KL Rahul donned the captain's hat.
Further, the veteran batter did not bat at his designated opening slot and walked into bat at number nine. Though Rohit played a valiant knock of 51* runs off 28 deliveries, he has been oficially ruled out of the third and final ODI and remains in doubt for the following Test series.
Rohit has been a lynchpin of the Indian batting line-up in the white-ball circuit for over a decade and has amassed over 14000 runs in the limited-overs arena. The 35-year-old has proven his mettle in Tests as well and scored 3137 runs in 45 matches at an average of 46.13.
If the 35-year-old is ruled out of the two-match Test series against Bangla Tigers, India will have a big hole to fill in the squad. However, there are a few contenders who have the potential to thrive in Bangladesh conditions and can replace Rohit in the team.
Here are the three players who can replace Rohit Sharma if he is ruled out of the Test series against Bangladesh:
3. Abhimanyu Easwaran
Abhimanyu Easwaran has been a proven performer in the Indian domestic circuit. The 27-year-old has featured in 77 first-class games and aggregated 5419 runs at an average of 44.41. Also, the 27-year-old has scored 3376 runs in 78 List-A games at an average of 46.24.
Easwaran has been in a pristine touch of late. In the ongoing India A tour of Bangladesh, he has been showing his batting might and piling on runs for fun. In the first Test against Bangladesh A, the Bengal batter played sensational innings of 141 runs in 255 deliveries. Again, in the ongoing second Test, he has struck yet another blistering century.
Since Easwaran has been prolific in the domestic circuit and is presently acing the Bangladesh conditions, the top-order batter could be a great option to have in the senior Indian team if Rohit is sidelined due to injury.
2. Hanuma Vihari
Hanuma Vihari has been a run-bank in the Indian domestic circuit. He has featured in 105 first-class games and amassed 8110 runs at an average of 55.17. The 29-year-old has also been superb in List-A and scored 3397 runs in 93 matches at an average of 42.46.
Vihari has made 16 appearances for India in the longest format of the game and has done a decent job, scoring 839 runs at an average of 33.56. When Cheteshwar Pujara was struggling with form, the ace batter was the number one contender to fill his void in the number three position. The Kakinada-born even played at the top order in the Test series against Sri Lanka earlier this year and also in the rescheduled fifth test against England in July 2022.
However, Pujara set the County Championship Division Two on fire with his jaw-dropping performances, scoring 1094 runs in eight games at a stunning average of 109.40. Courtesy of stellar performances, the veteran batter made a comeback into the Indian team and scored a half-century in the fifth Test against the Three Lions.
With Pujara in a rich vein of form, the selectors decided against picking Vihari for Bangladesh tour. But if Rohit is out of the series, India could ponder over adding him to the squad to strengthen their batting line-up. Vihari has the versatility to play at the top order and also the middle order. Thus, he could be a valuable addition to the team.
1. Mayank Agarwal
Mayank Agarwal is one of the finest opening batters going around in the Indian circuit. He has been a prolific run-getter in the domestic arena and accumulated 5854 runs in 81 first-class matches at an average of 43.36. When it comes to List-A, the 31-year-old has scored 4296 runs in 98 matches at an average of 45.70.
Mayank has also set the international arena ablaze with his breath-taking performances. He has played 21 Tests and scored 1488 runs at an average of 41.33. However, the Indian batter was far from his best in the Test series against Sri Lanka and could only score 59 runs in two games.
After Mayank’s mediocre showing, Shubman Gill was picked as the first-choice opener in the rescheduled Test against England, and with the senior duo of Rohit and KL Rahul back for the Bangladesh tour, Gill was selected as the backup opening batter ahead of the Bangalore-born. But if the Indian skipper is out of the Test series, the team management could look to include Mayank in the team as he has fared well for the team in the past.
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