New Delhi: Team India's star batter Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of the Test series against South Africa. The senior opener got injured during practice.
India's A team captain Priyank Panchal has been announced as his replacement. Rohit Sharma's performance in recent Test matches has been excellent. He scored a lot of runs in the Test series against England in July-August. The absence of Rohit in an important tour like South Africa is a big setback for Team India.
After Rohit's exit, KL Rahul will now open the innings with India with a new partner.
Let's have a look at the three players who can come out to bat as an opener in place of Rohit.
Priyank Panchal: The young batter can play his debut game for India on South Africa tour. The right-handed batsman has scored a lot of runs for Gujarat in domestic cricket. 31-year-old Priyank has played 100 matches in first class cricket, in which he has scored 7011 runs at an average of 45.52. He also has the experience of playing in South Africa and would not be surprised if he is given a chance in the first Test starting on December 26.
Mayank Agarwal: The Test series against New Zealand was excellent for this Karnataka batsman. He was the highest run scorer in the series and won the man of the match award in the second Test, played in Mumbai. Mayank scored a century in the first innings of that match and a half-century in the second innings. Most cricket experts say that Mayank should be included in the playing XI in the Test series against South Africa.
Hanuma Vihari: Vihari hasn't got a chance to play for India since the Test series against Australia earlier this year. This right-handed batsman has opened for the Indian team in Test matches. In such a situation, his name is also included in the race for the opening slot.