ENG vs IND: 3 players who can replace KL Rahul in Test squad

Indian opening batter KL Rahul is all but likely to miss the entire England tour including the upcoming one-off Test match between India and England at Edgbaston, Birmingham, due to a groin injury. He’ll reportedly travel to Germany for the treatment. He was also ruled out of the ongoing T20I series against South Africa just before the start of the series, after initially being named as the captain of the team in the absence of Rohit Sharma.

Rahul was one of the assigned opening batters for India in their tour of England last year and has been a regular choice for the team at the top of the order. He had a good run in the series, scoring 315 runs, which includes an impressive knock of 129 at Lord’s. As the selectors search for a replacement for the 30-year-old, batters such as Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, and Yashasvi Jaiswal wait in the ranks to partner with skipper Rohit Sharma for the resheduled Test.

Here are the 3 players who can replace KL Rahul in India’s Test squad:

1. Prithvi Shaw

The 22-year-old batter from Mumbai has already played five Test matches for India as an opener with an impressive record of 339 runs in nine innings at an average of 42.37 and a strike rate of over 86, and a top score of 134. He has also enjoyed a fine run in First-Class cricket, having scored 2614 runs in 57 innings at an average of 47.52 with a strike rate of close to 82 and a top score of 202.

Shaw made his Test debut against West Indies in 2018 in Rajkot, becoming India’s 293rd Test player. He marked the occasion by scoring a ton, becoming the youngest centurion for India on debut in Test matches. Despite a promising start to his Test career, he had a bit of a slump after touring Australia in December 2020, which drew some criticism for his ability to bat in overseas conditions.

However, he looked in decent touch in IPL 2022, playing for Delhi Capitals. Considering his ability to turn the game on its head, selectors can consider giving Shaw a recall.

2. Mayank Agarwal

The 31-year-old Karnataka batter has played 21 Test matches for India, scoring 1488 runs at an average of over 41 and a top score of 243 in 36 innings. He was part of both the India team that won the last two series touring Australia.

Agarwal has been one of the experienced campaigners for Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy and in First-Class cricket overall, having scored 5707 runs in 136 innings with a top score of 304* and an average of over 43.

The right-handed batter was sidelined from opening the innings in some of the matches after his struggles in Australia in the 2020-21 series. Gill was subsequently given a chance as he impressed one and all. But with his Karnataka teammate absent, Mayank might be in contention to play in Birmingham due to his experience.

3. Priyank Panchal

The 32-year-old batter from Gujarat might get his long-awaited India debut after a series of impressive seasons in the Ranji Trophy. He has scored over 7,000 runs in 101 First-Class matches at an average of over 45, with a top score of 314*. He also bowls occasional right-arm medium pace and has picked up 14 wickets with best bowling figures of three wickets for no run in an innings.

Panchal was one among five standby players for India’s home series against England last year. He was also named the captain of the India A team for the tour to South Africa in November 2021 and was in the Test squad for the series against South Africa after Rohit Sharma was ruled out due to an injury. 

Hence, the national selectors have some substantial reasons to give the star opener a go in the national team.