Harsha Bhogle wants KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal as India openers in Rohit Sharma’s absence

Rohit Sharma, the right-handed batsman, has been ruled out of ODI and Test series against New Zealand. The 32-year-old tweaked his calf while running during the fifth and final T20I at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. He scored a half-century in that game, but had to retire hurt midway through his knock. KL Rahul took over the stand-in captain for the rest of the encounter.

Going into the ODI series, India won’t have Shikhar Dhawan, who is recovering from a shoulder injury, as well. Hence, the Men in Blue will be banking on a few youngsters to take the team to victories. Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal have gotten chances. The opening match of the series is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, February 5 at the Seddon Park in Hamilton.

Shaw to make ODI debut

Virat Kohli, the Indian skipper, has already confirmed Shaw’s participation in the game. He also said that KL Rahul will be slotted in at the number five position itself. It means that Shaw’s opening partner is yet to be decided. With Agarwal in the team, he is being deemed to fill in the opener’s slot.

In the meantime, Harsha Bhogle, the renowned journalist, opined on India’s opening position. Bhogle said that he wished to see how Rohit turned up in the challenging conditions in New Zealand. But since, India won’t be having his services, he reckons that Mayank and Rahul should be opening for India.

He took to Twitter and wrote, “If indeed so, it takes away a very interesting sub-plot within the series. I was very keen to see how Rohit fared as an opener in those conditions. Probably means two old friends from Bengaluru, @mayankcricket and @klrahul11 will open.”

Here is Harsha Bhogle’s tweet

Shaw is set for an India return after he made his debut in 2018 against the West Indies. It was also the series where he became the Player of the Series. However, injuries and controversies became hurdles, which he has overcome to some extent. On the other hand, Rahul has been in excellent form. He has been shone in the top and middle-order and has also delivered as the keeper.