Australia vs India 2018: Three Players Who Can Replace Prithvi Shaw in the Test Side

Team India received a significant blow as their star opener Prithvi Shaw had to leave the field with an ankle injury during the practice game against Cricket Australia XI at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Here are the three possible replacements of Prithvi Shaw for the Test series:

Mayank Agarwal

Mayank Agarwal has been in the scheme of thing for quite some time now. He has done exceedingly well in the domestic circuit for the last 18 months, and this will be a welcome opportunity for the batsman.

Mayank Agarwal was part of the Indian Test squad in the two-match series against the West Indies. With the team management handing Rishabh Pant, Hanuma Vihari and Prithvi Shaw first Test caps recently, there was anticipation that Agarwal too might get a look-in but it never happened.

He was the top run-getter in 2017 season of the Ranji Trophy with 1160 runs from eight matches, and he will be desperate for this opportunity.

Shikhar Dhawan

After a string of poor scores in England, the dashing opener from Delhi, Shikhar Dhawan was left out of the squad for the series against Windies. Subsequently, after a good show from Prithvi Shaw, Dhawan also didn’t find a place in the Australia squad.

However, with now, an unexpected opportunity cropping up, Dhawan will look to grab this opportunity with both hands. He showed hints of form in the twenty-over legs of the series and will look to continue his form.

With the experience of playing in this condition before, Shikhar Dhawan is the frontrunner to replace Prithvi Shaw.

Ravikumar Samarth

Ravikumar Samarth has been a regular feature for India A in recent times and has proved his worth every time he has gone out in the middle. Hailing from Karnataka, Samarth boasts a good record in List A and will look to carry his form in his debut international tour.

Currently, in New Zealand, Samarth has done good showing capabilities of playing in challenging conditions. Although his chances are bleak, Samarth will grab the opportunity with both hands if anything comes his way.

The 25-year-old Samarth can also chip in with some part off-breaks which will come in handy for skipper Virat Kohli.