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'He should have played ahead of Shubman in WTC final': Former Pakistan bowler picks Gill's replacement for England Tests
With Shubman Gill likely ruled out of the first England Tests, Danish Kaneria feels the opportunity is ideal for India to bring back Mayank Agarwal for the role of opener.
That Shubman Gill is set to miss the first England Test and more due to a leg injury is a report that comes as a big blow for the Indian team. India have persisted with the opening combination of Rohit Sharma and Gill since the Australia Test series last year and the pair has delivered decent results. However, with Gill injuring his shin, and with reports suggesting that it could take him a while to recover fully, India are left with no option than to shuffle their opening combo.
Surely, the first name the team will be tempted to try out is Mayank Agarwal. The batsman has scored two double centuries while opening the innings for India but was overshadowed by Gill's tremendous start to his Test career. Another option the management can look forward to is KL Rahul, who scored a century at The Oval during the 2018 tour. And of course, there is Abhimanyu Easwaran in the mix as well, who from the list of reserve players, could be promoted into the main squad.
Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria reckons it will be a good opportunity for Agarwal to get a look in since he hasn't done a bad job opening for India. "Five weeks to go before the start of the India vs England series and Shubman Gill is out. Mayank Agarwal has a good opportunity to capitalise. If he is given the opportunity ahead of Gill, it will be interesting to see how he responds," Kaneria said on his YouTube channel.
"There were some people who said he should have played ahead of Shubman Gill in the WTC final, but that did not happen. However, the chance is now for Agarwal. It will also be interesting to see whether KL Rahul is considered."
While one between Rahul and Agarwal is expected to be the front-runner, Kaneria did not rule out the possibility of Hanuma Vihari being looked in for the role as well. Vihari, usually a middle-order batsman, had opened with Agarwal in the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy and although the chances are slim, the former spinner does not entirely rule out the chances of Vihari opening.
"Let's see how quickly Gill recovers and makes a comeback. And as far as picking between Agarwal and Rahul is concerned, I have a feeling they will go with Mayank. Even in the middle order, Hanuma Vihari can prove to be a strong option. He has opened in the past as well so you never know," Kaneria said.
