5 Players who can replace Ajinkya Rahane for the South Africa tour

Ajinkya Rahane has been having a torrid time as the batter has been struggling for quite a while now. Despite being India’s vice-captain in the longest format of the game, there have been calls to drop him. It’s been a while since his fans have seen him bat at his best. The Mumbai batter has scored just 591 runs in his last 20 innings. It gets worse when one realises that barring his match-winning century at the MCG in 2020, he doesn’t have too many impactful knocks under his name. The stand-in Test captain of India had an awful outing with the bat in the first Test against New Zealand. Thus, in all likelihood, the Indian selectors might look to replace him going into the upcoming tour to South Africa. Several players have made a strong case to replace the veteran. So which players stand a chance to become India’s new number five in Tests? In the article, we shall be taking a look at five Players who can replace Ajinkya Rahane for the South Africa tour: 1) Hanuma Vihari Hanuma Vihari. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images) Hanuma Vihari has been one of the unluckiest Indian batters of late. Despite not doing much wrong, he was dropped from the side. Thus, it is only fair if he deservingly returns to the Test team. After being tested in the difficult conditions of Australia and New Zealand, the 28-year-old was dropped for the home series. As a matter of fact, he played an amazing innings to draw the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21 at the SCG. It was his 23 from 161 deliveries on day five that ensured that India didn’t lose the game. Speaking about his overall numbers, the Andhra Pradesh batter has scored 624 runs in 12 Tests so far. His batting average and strike rate are 32.84 and 42.56 respectively. This includes four fifties and a hundred. 2) Shreyas Iyer Shreyas Iyer. (Photo Source: BCCI) Shreyas Iyer has started his Test career with a bang. With a century on debut, the Mumbai batter has proved one and all that he is here to stay. His perseverance seemed impeccable, to say the least. Besides, the right-hander has superb numbers in domestic cricket. In first-class cricket, he has scored 4592 runs in 54 games. His average and strike rate are 52.18 and 81.54 respectively. This includes 23 fifties and 12 hundreds. The best part of having him on the side is his positive approach and fearless attitude. Irrespective of the situation, he always looks to score runs. Last but not the least, considering his batting position, he is an ideal replacement for Ajinkya Rahane. 3) Suryakumar Yadav Suryakumar Yadav. (Photo by Sattish Bate/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) Suryakumar Yadav is the new blue-eyed boy as he has taken the world by storm. Despite being known for his attractive shots in the shortest format of the game, he is incredible in the longest format as well. His number in the domestic circuit is impressive. The Mumbai batter has scored 5325 runs in first-class cricket so far. This includes 14 hundreds at an average of 44.01. As his USP is to counter-attack, he can be a tactically smart pick for the South Africa tour. His ability to score quick runs could help India gain momentum in tricky situations during the Test series against the Proteas. 4) Shubman Gill Shubman Gill. (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images) While Shubman Gill has already played a handful of games for India, seeing him in this list might confuse a few fans. While the talented star is predominantly an opener, he can very well be asked to bat in the middle-order. Once KL Rahul is fit, he will most probably walk straight back into the XI. With him and Rohit Sharma at the top of the order, Gill will have no other choice but to bat at five. Besides, this seems like a viable option given the fact that the 22-year-old hasn’t done anything wrong to be dropped from the side. As the Punjab batter has played as an opener all this while, the new role at five might be relatively easier for him. This is because he generally plays the new ball and thus, batting when the ball gets older shouldn’t be too much of a problem for him. 5) Priyank Panchal Priyank Panchal. (Photo Source: Twitter) Priyank Panchal is the ‘Mr Consistent’ in the domestic circuit. The Gujarat batter has scored a truckload of runs in first-class cricket. Moreover, he has been one of the best batters in the Ranji Trophy. As a matter of fact, it is safe to say that he has been unlucky, considering the fact that he is yet to make his international debut. He was named as one of the five standby players in India’s Test squad for their series against England in 2021 but couldn’t get a chance. Scoring runs for fun in the domestic arena would definitely make the Indian selectors confident about him. Speaking about his numbers, the 31-year-old has 6891 runs in 98 first-class games. His batting average is 45.63. This includes 24 fifties and 24 hundreds.

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5 Players who can replace Ajinkya Rahane for the South Africa tour

Taking his current form into account, playing Rahane in South Africa could be risky.

4) Shubman Gill

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