"He's made for Test Cricket.."- Aakash Chopra recommends former CSK star to replace Virat Kohli

Cricketer turned commentator and expert analyst Aakash Chopra has lauded young left-hander Sai Sudharsan and feels that the Tami-Nadu-born batter has all the key elements and materials required to become a proper Test batsman.

Chopra also stated that even if it’s quite unrealistic Sudharsan should be the one to replace Virat Kohli who has been withdrawn from the first two Tests in Hyderabad and Vishakhapatnam.

Due to an undisclosed issue related to his family, the BCCI announced on its official website that Virat Kohli has been withdrawn from the first two matches and asked media outlets to not interfere in his personal life at the moment and to support the Indian team as they look to keep their red-ball home dominance intact in this series.

The BCCI also confirmed that the selection committee will be naming a replacement in the coming hours and since then social media has been flooded with names of possible replacements. Names like Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Sai Sudharsan, and Abhimanyu Easwaran have been put forth by various media outlets and everyone is eagerly waiting for the announcement.

Aakash Chopra hails Sai Sudharsan

Going by their performance in the India A versus England Lions tour matches, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, and Abhimanyu Easwaran are most likely to replace Kohli but Aakash Chopra feels that the perfect replacement for him will be Sai Sudharsan whose left-hand batting seems as if he is made for the longest format.

Aakash Chopra said, “The left-hander that comes to my mind is Sai Sudharsan. It’s a slightly out-of-the-box suggestion but it is not wrong. He scored runs in the IPL final but he is not a one-trick pony either. He scores runs in all three formats.”

“Recently, he scored fifties in his first two ODI innings and scored 90-plus runs against the England Lions as well. He is consistently scoring runs and the clean way in which he plays, it seems like he is made for Test cricket.” – Aakash Chopra said.

Who Will Make The Final Cut? Sai Sudharsan, Sarfaraz Khan Or Rajat Patidar?

While Virat Kohli’s absence could prove to be a big blow for the Indian team, it has also opened up the door for a new batter to come in and show his prowess. These types of situations occur very rarely but now that it has, someone needs to step up and make the mark.

Sarfaraz Khan has been a long-debated name to be included in the Test team but for reasons unknown, he has always been overlooked. He averages 68.20 in the Ranji trophy circuit and has amassed over 3000 runs in less than 50 matches. He shined in the recent tour match and unofficial Test match between India A and England Lions, scoring 96 and 55.

But another batter who has scored runs in those matches was Rajat Patidar. He scored 2 centuries and has shown immense potential as a top-order batsman. Sai Sudharsan on the other hand has also been productive, scoring 97 in the 1st unofficial Test which remained a draw. Now that there are 3-4 proven options for the selection committee, time will tell who makes the final cut.