ENG vs IND: 3 players who can open in Rohit Sharma's absence

India suffered a huge blow ahead of their rescheduled Edgbaston Test against England when skipper Rohit Sharma tested positive for Covid-19 just a few days before the all-important Test. The Indian team is already without the services of regular opener KL Rahul, who is suffering from a groin Injury and Rohit faces a race against time to make it to the Test that commences on July 1.

India are currently leading the five-match series 2-1 and need to avoid defeat to claim the coveted series against England. The right-handed batter was India’s leading run-scorer in the series, with 368 runs to his name. Under the current isolation protocols, the Indian skipper might just be cleared to play the Test.

Three players who can replace Rohit Sharma as opener:

1. Hanuma Vihari

The all-rounder is a part of the Indian squad and is playing in the four-day practice match against Leicestershire. Hanuma Vihari is a middle-order batter by trade and is known for his defiance against quality bowling, especially in tough batting conditions.

Vihari is no stranger to opening the innings for the Indian team, as he was one of the designated openers for India alongside Mayank Agarwal in the 2018-19 Test series in Australia after the struggles of Murali Vijay and KL Rahul in the earlier matches.

The right-handed batter made his debut against England at the Oval in 2018, where he scored a half-century in tough seaming conditions.

2. Srikar Bharat

KS Bharat was selected in the Indian squad as a backup wicketkeeper for Rishabh Pant. The wicketkeeper-batter was one of India’s better performers with the bat in the practice match against Leicestershire.

The 28-year-old is yet to make his debut for the Indian side and featured in just two matches for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2022. He is a handy batter in the middle order and is among the runs quite often in the domestic circuit.

Bharat has done well for the Indian team in the ongoing four-day practice match against Leicestershire, as he scored an unbeaten 70 in the first innings and followed it up with an impressive 43 in the second innings while opening the batting alongside Shubman Gill.

3. Cheteshwar Pujara

Cheteshwar Pujara is the kind of batter that every team desires to have. He always puts the requirements of the teams ahead of personal batting milestones. His grit and determination on the pitch are well documented.

The 34-year-old bulwark is one of the senior players on the Indian team and is the most adept in negotiating the swinging balls in tough English conditions. He batted for Leicestershire in the first innings against India in the ongoing four-day practice Test and even came out bat for India in the second innings, to the surprise of many Indian fans.

Pujara opened the batting for India last year in a Test against New Zealand. The right-handed batter took the role when Shubman Gill did not come out to bat in the second innings due to sustaining an elbow injury while fielding in the match.