After the embarrassing series defeat to South Africa, the Indian batting department is certain to undergo a few changes. Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara are the batsmen who could be dropped. At the moment, the names of Hanuma Vihari and Shreyas Iyer are being discussed as potential replacements. In this article, we take a look at five batsmen apart from Vihari and Shreyas who also deserve a chance in the Indian Test Team.
It is Hanuma Vihari and Shreyas Iyer who must be given first preference in the XI. However, the management must also ensure that there is enough backup in case one of Vihari or Iyer fail to do well or suffer an injury. Hence, there are other players who need to be backed, as well.
1) Priyank Panchal
FC Stats: Matches – 100 || Runs – 7011 || Average – 45.5
Priyank Panchal is one player apart from Vihari and Shreyas who deserves a chance in the Test squad. The Gujarat cricketer replaced Rohit Sharma for the recent tour of South Africa. An experienced campaigner in domestic cricket, Panchal plays at the top of the order. The opening slots are already filled and if not for the No.5 position, he can at least be used as a backup to Hanuma Vihari for the No.3 slot.
2) Abhimanyu Easwaran
FC Stats: Matches – 67 || Runs – 4606 || Average – 43.5
Abhimanyu Easwaran was part of Team India in 2021’s tour of England. He is also someone who has done very well in the domestic circuit. Similar to Panchal, the West Bengal cricketer is also a top-order batsman. While it is hard to get a chance, if he can adapt himself to other positions, it will be a win-win situation for the management and the player.
3) Suryakumar Yadav
FC Stats: Matches – 77 || Runs – 5326 || Average – 44.01
Suryakumar Yadav is already being looked at as an option in the middle-order. Hence, with both Pujara and Rahane not in the XI, it is certain that he will be in the squad. SKY is someone who had an attacking instinct and this could be of good use to India. Hence, he must also get sufficient opportunities in the XI. He also has the stats to back him in the Test arena.
4) Manish Pandey
FC Stats: Matches – 91 || Runs – 6389 || Average – 51.11
It is unfortunate that no one considers Manish Pandey as an option in the middle-order. He has a wealth of experience playing FC cricket. His average is one of the best in the country. Pandey in the red-ball format is known to be an attacking player. Therefore, he must also feature in the plans for the near future.
5) Baba Aparajith
FC Stats: Matches – 80 || Runs – 3971 || Average – 38.18 || Wickets – 48
Baba Aparajith is also a cricketer apart from Vihari and Shreyas who deserves a spot in the team. Although purely as a batter, Baba may not warrant an opportunity, as a batting all-rounder, he deserves a chance. India struggled with balance against South Africa. There was not one player apart from R Ashwin who could bowl spin regularly. Hence, Ashwin had to be played and they had to compromise on the batting depth. A player like Baba could have solved the issue to a good extent.
