India vs Windies 2018: Three Players Who Can Replace Hardik Pandya for Test Series

Hardik Pandya got ruled out of the ongoing Asia Cup 2018 in the UAE with an acute back injury and will also miss the forthcoming Windies Tests, scheduled to start on October 4th.

However, Hardik Pandya sustained the blow during the group league encounter against Pakistan in Dubai on September 19th. He was bowling the last delivery of his fifth over, and he slipped on the 22-yard pitch. His face was showing some signs of discomfort, and he had to leave the ground with the physio and with a stretcher.

Meanwhile, this was the third instance in the last three months where an Indian player is not able to play due to sudden injuries. Furthermore, India will play two Test matches and a two-day warm-up game against the Windies. The national selectors will be meeting in the Capital on Wednesday to pick the squad.

Three possible replacement for Hardik Pandya for Indies Test series:

Kunal Pandya

Krunal Pandya is a like-for-like replacement for Hardik Pandya. He is a slow left-arm orthodox and can bat lower down the order. Krunal has scored 30 or more in 17 of his last 32 List A innings over the previous two years. However, he is a classic all-rounder with an impressive statistic.

Moreover, in his last 14 matches, Krunal has conceded less than five runs per over. It indicates how tightly he bowls with his line and length with accuracy. He was amongst the highest run scorer in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2016-17 session.

Jalaj Saxena

Jalaj Saxena displayed his all-round cricket with a match-winning show against Chhattisgarh to help Kerala triumph by six wickets. However, it was a rain-affected Group ‘B’ match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy cricket tournament at the Ferozeshah Kotla.

Moreover, he is a player who takes little time to get down to business and also can execute shots on merit. Jalaj already picked up seven wickets from three matches that he has bowled for his team.

The selectors will surely keep an eye, as Saxena could be the perfect replacement for Hardik Pandya.

Krishnappa Gowtham

Gowtham is one of the backbones of Karnataka. He can create magic both with his bat and ball. Krishnappa already picked up three wickets in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2018 and scored some critical 38 runs against Mumbai. The 29-year-old has a lot of talent and can change the flow of a match at any point in time.

The selectors might think of Gowtham, as the perfect replacement for Hardik Pandya and he will be keen to make his debut for the national side.