IND vs ENG: Lack of depth in India's opening may be a worry

As KL Rahul has undergone surgery for appendicitis recently and his travel to England for Indias Test tour being uncertain the focus on opening options shifts to the teams reservesThe Virat Kohliled team includes four batsmen who can be used to face the new ball including Rahul While Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma are likely to start in the playing XI as openers following their decent individual performances in Australia and also the opening stands of 70 71 11 and 18 questions are being raised over the bench strength in case any one of the two batsmen failApart from Rohit and Gill the Indian team comprise Mayank Agarwal who suffered a torrid time in Australia as opener scores of 17 9 0 5 and Rahul hasnt played a Test since AugustSeptember 2019That leaves rookie and uncapped Abhimanyu Easwaran who is travelling as one of the four standby players as perhaps the next best optionAlthough Easwaran told IANS that he was expecting the call and that he was mentally prepared a few former selectors arent sure if taking him to England was the right move considering that the righthander wasnt even among the top five rungetters for Bengal in Ranji Trophy in 201920 the last time the tournament was playedEaswaran only big knock of note in 201920 season came during Duleep Trophy 153 But he couldnt do much in the other three inningsI am surprised with Easwarans selection I thought Prithvi Shaw is an experienced player at an international level and has played Tests He is currently in form also He should have been included I would have even thought of Devdutt Padikkal because you need to reward domestic performances too Sarandeep Singh who was part of the previous selection committee told IANSSingh voted for Shaw whom he compared with the redoubtable Virender SehwagHe is like Sehwag You have to guide him If he clicks he can destroy the opposition just like Sehwag I think on a tour like England he or Padikkal should have been picked ahead of Easwaran who didnt a good domestic season the last time he saidFormer chief selector Kiran More said Selectors need to answer why he has been picked ahead of a more experienced batsman I dont want to comment on itBut since the chairman of selectors unlike in the past does not announce team in front of the media these days and the Indian cricket board announces teams through bland media releases the explanation that More seeks may never comeCurrent chief selector Chetan Sharma did not take calls from IANSThe only explanation could be that Shaw is known to be very suspect against the movement and Padikkal is fairly new having played just 15 firstclass games across two seasonsEaswaran is the only batsman among the four standby players The other three ndash M Prasidh Krishna Avesh Khan and Arzan Nagwaswalla are fast bowlersIt is still unclear if Easwaran would be drafted in the main squad in case an injury happens or if Rahul fails to recover and does not make it to EnglandBut with India set to tour Sri Lanka for a white ball series scheduled from July 13 to July 27 and with Shaw Padikkal and Shikhar Dhawan likely to be picked for that tour it looks unlikely that there will be enough time to send reinforcements from India in case of any calamity That might well open the doors for Easwaran and the Bengal batsman could be drafted into the main squadEven if any of the three players are rushed to England from Sri Lanka they will have to undergo quarantine Besides they will have to contend with lack of preparationAlso ReadIndiarsquos Tests vs England Australia not fixed ICCThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever