India’s star batsman Shreyas Iyer may have to sit out for the next four to five months due to an existing lower-back injury. Shreyas Iyer will remain under the supervision and guidance of the BCCI medical staff at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. Although a concrete timeline is yet to be announced, it is highly plausible that he will miss the World Test Championship (WTC) final, set to take place in June at The Oval. Consequently, here are three players who could replace him in India’s playing XI if needed:
1) Suryakumar Yadav
Despite a disappointing debut in the Test format, Suryakumar Yadav has gained the trust of the Indian cricket think tank. The top-ranked T20I batter was given his chance when Shreyas Iyer was ruled out due to injury, but he managed only 8 runs in the lone innings he faced against Australia in Nagpur. However, the team believes that Suryakumar can perform for India in all formats.
2) Sarfaraz Khan
The talented Sarfaraz Khan has been a strong contender for a spot in the Test squad for some time. Converting starts into centuries and double centuries is an impressive achievement and something that comes naturally to the Mumbai batsman. On top of that, Sarfaraz maintains a consistent strike rate. In the absence of wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz is likely to emerge as the ideal middle-order batsman for English conditions.
3) Hanuma Vihari
Hanuma Vihari, the middle-order batter from Andhra, was overlooked during Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid’s reigns with no clear explanation. Despite having one hundred and 5 half-centuries in 16 games, Vihari is notorious for playing with tenacity and courage. He can be a great choice to confront Australia’s pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Pat Cummins due to his experience with that caliber of bowlers and the English seaming conditions.
