3 batsmen who can replace Virat Kohli: The Sportsrush present before you three batsmen who can play at No. 3 in the upcoming series.
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If reports are to be believed, India captain Virat Kohli will be rested for the upcoming tour of West Indies. Kohli, who led India to the semi-finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, is expected to not be part of the limited-overs leg of the tour starting from August 3.
The development will be an attempt to monitor the workload of the Indian skipper who is coming on the back of a full season of the Indian Premier League and the World Cup. The murmurs of vice-captain Rohit Sharma and fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah getting rested are also doing the rounds in the media.
Talking specifically of Kohli, India will have to find an adept batsman to replace him in the upcoming ODI series. With Kohli dominating the No. 3 position at will for years now, his replacement will have huge boots to fill in three ODIs.
3 batsmen who can replace Virat Kohli
Shreyas Iyer
“I deserve a chance now,” India batsman Shreyas Iyer was quoted as saying in a recent video uploaded on the official website of BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India). Iyer, 24, didn’t say anything wrong as he has backed his brief international career with impressive performances at the domestic level and deserves to get a go after nearly 18 months now.
In six ODIs, Iyer had scored 210 runs at an average of 42 and a strike rate of 96.33 including a couple of half-centuries. The right-hand batsman further scored 373 runs in seven matches at an average of 93.25 and a strike rate of 108.43 in the last season of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Iyer is already in West Indies as India A’s No. 3 batsman. A 16th List A half-century in the first match saw him winning the Man of the Match award. Having the game to bat at No. 3, the Mumbai batsman might well come good for India in the imminent series.
Shubman Gill
Having made his ODI debut earlier this year, Shubman Gill couldn’t quite make the best of the two chances given to him. Despite scoring only 16 runs in his first two ODIs, Gill received backing from Rohit Sharma and Sachin Tendulkar.
Much like Iyer, Gill is also in West Indies at this point in time. The 19-year old cricketer scored a half-century in the second innings. Gill had earlier scored a match-winning 109* (96) in the recently concluded series against Sri Lanka A at Belgaum.
The aforementioned in association with his consistent performances in India’s domestic circuit make him another ideal contestant at No. 3.
Mayank Agarwal
Called up as all-rounder Vijay Shankar’s replacement in the World Cup, Mayank Agarwal didn’t the opportunity to make his ODI debut. Coming on the back of staggering numbers across formats and an impressive debut Test series in Australia, Agarwal is another probable candidate to bat at No. 3.
A natural opener, Agarwal has it in him to bat at No. 3. If the Indian selectors choose to rest Sharma as well, we might see Agarwal opening the batting. If Sharma is named as the captain, Agarwal can bat at No. 3 after the captain and Lokesh Rahul.
