After the official confirmation that Virat Kohli will miss the first two Tests against England, questions remain on whom the BCCI will select as the replacement in India’s squad for the upcoming Test series.
India currently has a couple of options in hand with certain players who have featured for India A while another has had a stellar start in the Ranji Trophy. Take a look at India’s potential options to replace Virat Kohli for the first two Tests.
Rajat Patidar
The batter from Indore has been in fine form with the bat where he scored centuries in both the unofficial games. His best knock was a fighting innings against the England Lions in the unofficial Test. Patidar managed to score a valiant 150 against the England Lions which put India-A back in the hunt as they managed to draw the Test. He has also shown fine ability playing as the opener as well as at the number three position as well in the batting order.
He also has experience in the first-class format where he has a good record. With 55 matches played, Patidar has racked up 4000 runs with an average of 45.97 while scoring 22 half-centuries and 12 fifties.
Sarfaraz Khan
The batter from Mumbai has been a consistent performer in the first-class format having played 44 games while scoring 3751 runs and averaging 68.2 runs and racking up 13 tons and 11 fifties. He also can score the big runs with his highest score in the format being an unbeaten 301 runs.
During the unofficial games against the England Lions, Sarafaraz managed to score 96 and 55 runs in the series as well. Considering his first-class record and his ability to score the big tons, he could be a prospect who could get a look in for the first two Tests.
Cheteshwar Pujara
Pujara has been out of favour from the Indian Test side with his last game coming against Australia during the finals of the World Test Championship in 2023. However, the lack of runs from the batter has been a talking point which led to his exclusion from the side later on.
He has since then been part of the domestic circuit, especially in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season where he managed to make a statement with his 8th double ton against Jharkhand. He has been consistently scoring runs in the domestic format and is currently the second-highest run-scorer in the Ranji Trophy this season with 444 runs in 3 matches at an average of 111. His experience in the international format could be a big bonus for the Indian side and could see a return to the Indian Test side as well.
The BCCI are yet to announce who is going to replace Virat Kohli for the first two Tests. The first game will begin at Hyderabad on January 25 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium as the hosts will look to continue their long-standing streak of never losing a Test series at home since 2012.
Comments
0 comment