5 Players Who Can Replace Prithvi Shaw As The Indian Opener In Sri Lanka

A shin injury to Shubman Gill has ruled him out for eight weeks from international cricket. This also means that the youngster is also set to miss the England tour for which he was included in the initial squad. However, now with Gill sure to miss the series, the Indian selectors are thinking to recall Prithvi Shaw into the Test side.

While Rohit Sharma remains the first-choice opener, the selectors are willing to have Prithvi Shaw as the second-choice opener. The likes of KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal are also options available to the management for the England tour.

In the meantime, we take a look at opening options available to India in Sri Lanka in case Prithvi Shaw is recalled into the Test side. India’s limited-overs series against Sri Lanka starts from July 13 with a three-match ODI series followed by a three-match T20I series.

5 Players Who Can Replace Prithvi Shaw As The Indian Opener In Sri Lanka

Devdutt Padikkal

Devdutt Padikkal is a left-handed option available to India. He has been a name that has been discussed enough in domestic cricket since last season. He also had a good debut season with RCB scoring 473 runs in IPL 2020. He has scored 195 runs in the season so far. With Rohit Sharma the regular white-ball opener missing, Padikkal can be a good choice for the opener’s role.

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Ruturaj Gaikwad

Gaikwad has proved his potential in whatever little opportunities he has got in the IPL. He is a part of the Indian squad that was announced for the tour. With Shaw being there, it would have been impossible for the youngster to make his India debut. However, with talks of Shaw being sent to England, Gaikwad might fancy his chances. He can be a good replacement for Prithvi Shaw.

Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan is another good option available in India. He has been a constant feature in Mumbai Indians since 2020. He had a breakthrough season that year scoring 516 runs in the season. That earned him an India call-up for the series against England at home. Now he is also a part of the India squad that is in Sri Lanka for the series.

Nitish Rana

Nitish Rana has earned his maiden India call-up after his consistent performance in the IPL for KKR since 2018. He started by batting at number three for the side before being sent as an opener in IPL 2020. He scored 344 runs in IPL 2019, 352 in 2020, and 201 runs in the first leg of IPL 2021 in India. Rana has a lot of experience of playing domestic cricket and can fit the opener’s role perfectly in the absence of Prithvi Shaw.

Sanju Samson

This is Sanju Samson’s last opportunity to impress the selectors and make a case for inclusion in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup later this year. In recent times, Samson has wasted his opportunities with the bat whenever he has been given one. He is the most experienced domestic cricket among all the players on this list. It will be interesting to see if he is used as an opener in Sri Lanka in case Shaw goes to England.

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