India vs West Indies: 3 Players who could've been better replacements for Shikhar Dhawan

After being undeservingly axed from the Indian T20I squad for the series against West Indies, Sanju Samson has found his way back into the team as Shikhar Dhawan’s replacement. The Kerala-based wicket-keeper has impressed a lot in the domestic arena since the last few years. However, he has not received a proper opportunity to prove himself at the international level.

He has been fantastic in the middle order for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL and also, for Kerala in the domestic tournaments. The right-handed batsman had recently scored a double century in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. But, it seems like his addition will create more confusions in the team. Dhawan was an opening batsman hence, it would have been better had the selectors included an upcoming opener in the squad.

While Samson deserves his chance fully, a proper opener in the team would’ve made the difference it seems. This is why we bring you three players who could’ve been better replacements than Sanju Samson in the T20I squad.

3 Players who could’ve been better replacements for Dhawan:

Mayank Agarwal

The right-handed batsman from Karnataka, Mayank Agarwal has achieved enormous success in his brief international career. The Kings XI Punjab player has already broken into the Top 10 of the ICC Test rankings after playing just 9 matches. Though the fans see him as a Test specialist, the 28-year-old has great numbers in the T20 format as well.

He has played 134 matches in his 9-year long T20 career, scoring 2,939 runs at an average of 24.49. Agarwal has a strike rate of 131.67 which is decent enough for an opener. Besides he has hit one hundred and eighteen half-centuries in the shortest format of the game.

Having played for four franchises in IPL, Mayank has shown that he can decimate the bowlers in T20 cricket. Hence, he could have been a like-for-like replacement of Shikhar Dhawan in the squad.

Suryakumar Yadav

Just like Sanju Samson, the Mumbai-based top-order batsman, Suryakumar Yadav has been one of the most consistent performers in the domestic circuit. The right-handed batsman recently played an unbeaten knock of 94 runs against Karnataka in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Yadav has played 148 T20 matches in his career, amassing 2,932 runs at an average of 30.86.

Playing for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, Suryakumar scored 424 runs in 16 matches last season. He has played several match-winning knocks for his side in the format. Hence, he should have been in the Indian T20 team by now. Besides, Yadav had also scored 512 runs while the opening the innings for Mumbai in the IPL 2018.

Since he has excellent numbers as an opener, the selectors could have tried him out in this series. Also, he has played a lot of cricket with Indian opener Rohit Sharma. Thus, he would have formed a good partnership with him at the top.

Prithvi Shaw

Another big name from Mumbai, Prithvi Shaw had all but cemented his spot in the Indian Test team with his fantastic performances against West Indies. He was set to open the innings for India in the series versus Australia, however, a last-minute injury ruled him out of the tour.

He shone in the IPL but soon received a ban for consuming a banned substance. This suspension had kept him away from competitive cricket for 6 months but when he made his comeback for Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, it never looked like he was coming after a long break.

Shaw has been timing the ball to perfection in the ongoing tourney and speaking about his T20 numbers, the opening batsman has scored 598 runs in 25 IPL matches. He has been an integral part of the Delhi Capitals franchise and, could have provided his services for India had the selectors picked him as a replacement.

This was the perfect opportunity to bring Prithvi back in the Indian team but now, it seems that KL Rahul will open alongside Rohit in all the matches.