5 players who could replace Virat Kohli if he misses ODI and T20I series against England

India is scheduled to play a T20I, ODI and Test series versus England, which starts from the first week of July. However, Virat Kohli’s, their skipper, a chance of participation has come under the clouds as he has been reported to have been suffering from a slipped disc injury. The Indian skipper has also been ruled out for his upcoming county stint with Surrey.

The mishap sparked following the IPL and the Men in Blue would be hoping for his speedy recovery. However, they also need to keep ready a pool of players who can replace Virat if he can’t make the cut for the England series. Here are the names of some consistent performers who can be drafted into the playing eleven in the absence of Kohli.

1. Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav played for the Mumbai Indians (MI) and turned out to be a massive success for them at the top of the order. He scored 512 runs and remained in contention for the leading run-scorer in the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL) for the chunk of the league stage. The 27-year old cricketer had also shown impressive form in the domestic tournament, playing for Mumbai.

With 364 runs in seven matches, he was Mumbai’s second-highest run-scorer in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The Maharashtra-born batsman also notched 217 runs in eight contests at an average of 54.25 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament. Moreover, he scored the runs at a strike-rate of nearly 190, which manifests the potential of the individual.

2. Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson played for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and was an indispensable member of the franchise. He notched 441 runs in 15 matches at an average of 31.50. Albeit he went in a slump in the second leg of the round-robin phase of the IPL, he promised enough to warrant a place in the national team in the absence of any prominent name.

The Trivandrum-born wicket-keeper batsman had an impressive stint in the Syed Mushtaq Ali where he scored 175 runs at an average of 43.75 and was Kerala’s highest run-getter. His strike-rate of 143.44 meant that he piled the runs at a brisk rate. He didn’t have an auspicious Vijay Hazare Trophy though as he managed only 170 runs with a top-score of 46.

3. Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer represented the Delhi Daredevils (DD) and was a fulcrum of the side. He scored 411 runs at an average of 37.36 along with four half-centuries. He was also appointed as the skipper of the franchise after Gautam Gambhir stepped down from the position of captaincy. He helped them win them four matches and though he couldn’t take his team to the playoffs, he impressed one and all.

Moreover, he took calculative risks while batting and helped his team through on many occasions. He didn’t play many matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament owing to national duties. He also played in India’s tour of South Africa and will be in the radar of Indian selectors provided any of the top batsmen, including Kohli, are ruled out.

4. Mayank Agarwal  

Mayank Agarwal plied his trade for the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), but couldn’t make much of an impact with the willow. The right-hander was shuffled in the batting order and he could only manage 120 runs in 11 matches. However, his form in the domestic circuit was simply phenomenal. He played for Karnataka in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy.

The 27-year old racked 723 runs in eight matches in the One Day tournament with the highest score of 140. He also averaged a stupendous 90.37. He was also the leading run-scorer in the event. In the T20 tournament, the swashbuckling batsman notched 258 runs with three half-centuries. With tons of runs under his belt, he has the ability to make his India debut very soon.

5. Rishabh Pant  

Rishabh Pant played for the Delhi Daredevils (DD) and is placed second in the list of highest run-scorers with 684 runs in 15 matches. He had a jaw-dropping average of 52.61 with a strike-rate of 173.60. He also scored a century against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Previously, he also was in excellent touch in the domestic circuit.

He scored 411 runs in 10 encounters in the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament. He was also the joint-highest scorer in the event. The left-hander smacked 24 sixes and his knock of 116 not out versus Bengal grabbed the limelight. Though he couldn’t perform in the Nidahas Trophy, Pant deserves another chance bearing in mind his current form.