Former Indian pacer Ajit Agarkar wants India to go with Cheteshwar Pujara or Hanuma Vihari as an opening batter replacement if Rohit Sharma is out due to COVID against England for Edgbaston Test.
Rohit Sharma's recent COVID case has undoubtedly caused headaches for the Indian selectors ahead of India's Test match against England on Friday. If Sharma cannot play in the one-off Test, India will miss not only its captain but also its leading run-scorer from the series' first leg. With KL Rahul already ruled out due to injury, India will go into the Test Match at Edgbaston in Birmingham with a new opening pair. One of these slots will likely go to Shubman Gill. However, who gets the other slot is up in the air. KS Bharat looked good in the practice match, while India has also tried Hanuma Vihari and Cheteshwar Pujara as openers in the past.
Following the news of Rohit's COVID case, opener Mayank Agarwal was also called up. With Mayank not even getting a practice match and KS Bharat yet to make his test debut, former Indian pacer Ajit Agarkar reckoned India should go into the Test with the experience of Cheteshwar Pujara or Hanuma Vihari, reports IANS.
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Agarkar said, "I know KS Bharat got some runs in the warm-up game. The team management will probably look at how prepared Mayank Agarwal is after joining the team. I don't know if he has enough time to prepare for this one-off Test. With Rohit in isolation, I believe the experience will help in the opening, whether it is Vihari or Pujara, who has been around for a long time."
"Vihari has already opened for India a couple of times. So, that would be my pick, one of those two if Mayank doesn't look quite ready as he didn't have enough time in the nets and is not going to get any games now. I think it's better to go with a little bit more experience because it is a one-off Test," added Agarkar.
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"With Pujara being back in top-order and Vihari having a couple of good Tests against Sri Lanka at home while batting at number three, he's got runs which is what he could do. He was given an opportunity in the warm-up, so he put his name up there. Whether he gets the nod or not, I am sure there will be discussion around it within the team management. But, the good thing is, at least he got some runs under his belt if he does get that opportunity," Agarkar concluded.