The World Test Championship 2023 final is around the corner and Team India have dealt some major injury blows before the epic final that will be played from June 7 to June 11. First Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah, then Shreyas Iyer and Jaydev Unadkat and now the captain of Lucknow Super Giants KL Rahul got injured while fielding during the match no. 43 of IPL 2023 between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants.
According to reports, KL Rahul will not be playing in the remainder of the IPL 2023 and he will be also missing epic clash against Australia in World Test Championship. In this article, we will be discussing the 3 players who might replace KL Rahul in WTC final squad.
Also Read: KL Rahul Injury Update: Will He Get Fit Before Asia Cup 2023?
1) Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan has been back in the form since the start of the IPL 2023. He smashed some big scores from his bat in this edition and is on the verge of achieving some great milestones. There are several reasons why Shikhar Dhawan might be the best replacement for KL Rahul in the WTC final.
First of all, his batting records in England have been quite phenomenon. Next comes his experience, he has been very consistent when it comes to perform in any ICC tournaments and was the leading run scorer for India. Last but not the least, he has got that everything that the team India would be searching for in the replacement of KL Rahul.
2. Mayank Agarwal
Mayank Agarwal has waiting for his turn to be back in the Indian Team since a very long time but it seems like his recent performance in the Ranji Trophy will be able to break into the Indian Test team. In the 13 innings played in Ranji Trophy 2022-23, he scored 990 runs at an average of 82.50 with three hundreds and six fifty to his name.
Also he has the experience of playing 21 Tests and can be a good fit for India in the middle or top order in the absence of KL Rahul. The Karnataka batter has got all the experience of playing the Australian fat bowling trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc.
3. Ishan Kishan
Ishan Kishan was selected in the India squad for the Test series against Australia in February 2023, however, he didn’t get a chance to play in any of the four matches. Meanwhile, in the First Class, the Jharkhand batter has amassed close to 3000 runs with six centuries and sixteen half-centuries to his name.
Considering the fact that Ishan has got the potential to score runs quickly and his stupendous runs in the IPL 2023 has further doubled his chances of getting selected back again in the squad. Also if, he gets a chance to feature in the playing 11 then he can fulfil the role of KL Rahul.