CRICKET
3 players who can replace Virat Kohli in squad for first 2 Tests against England
Virat Kohli has opted out of the first two Tests against England due to personal reasons. The star batter will be unavailable for the Tests at Hyderabad and Vizag due to reasons that have not been revealed yet. In his absence, questions have been raised regarding the possible options to try out in the first two Tests of the series. There are some options in the main squad. Then some players could make it to the squad in the absence of Virat.
In the Indian squad, some talented batters can bat in the middle order. The likes of KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Shubman Gill are capable of doing it. But a couple of them might already be set to play at different positions like three and five. Gill and Iyer are likely to bat in their respective positions. Rahul might bat at six, which can be the case. Hence, there is a need for the Indian team to announce the replacement of Kohli for the first two Tests.
Some players can be contenders to replace Virat in the first two Tests of the series. Here are three such players who are in good form and can be asked to bat at four at Hyderabad and Vizag respectively:
3. Sarfaraz Khan
Sarfaraz Khan (Source: X)
Sarfaraz Khan has been scoring runs for fun in domestic cricket over the last few years. The middle-order batter has done everything in his might to be eligible for selection in the Indian team. The Mumbai batter has been aggressive and consistent at the same time. He has performed in the Ranji Trophy and Irani Trophy in big matches.
While Khan got a call-up in the Test squad against Australia for the last two Tests. But the batter with good intent did not get a chance to play in a Test match in the series. Even in the series against England, Khan did not get a chance to be in the squad when it was announced initially. The selectors might want to rectify their mistakes.
2. Cheteshwar Pujara
Cheteshwar Pujara (Source: X)
Cheteshwar Pujara has been one of the most experienced campaigners for India over the years. The star batter used to average over 51 in tests at one point and was the key performer for India in away Tests. However, his form has been a huge concern since 2019. For the same reason, Pujara was dropped from the squad for several times in the past.
In the squad, which was announced for the series against England, Pujara was excluded. Right after the announcement, Pujara made a statement by scoring a double hundred for Saurashtra against Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy 2024. Given his form and experience, Pujara might be a contender to get a call-up from the Indian team.
1. Rajat Patidar
Rajat Patidar (Source: X)
Rajat Patidar has been on a run-scoring spree in the last few years. The Madhya Pradesh batter has been consistently performing for his domestic team and India A in different formats. Particularly in the longer format, Patidar has been well amongst runs and at a good rate as well. It was visible how he played for India A against England Lions.
In the practice match against England, Patidar scored 111 runs in 141 balls that made headlines. He did not stop there and backed it up with a sensational 141 in the unofficial match against England Lions, where the wicket was a rank turner and other batters failed to score. Given his form, Patidar might be the most likely candidate to replace Kohli.