Opening batsman Mayank Agarwal has been added to Team India’s Test squad for the forthcoming rescheduled Test against England.
Team India have called-up Mayank Agarwal for the England Test after skipper Rohit Sharma was tested positive for Covid-19. The BCCI, on Sunday, announced that Rohit tested positive after taking a Rapid Antigen Test on Saturday.
Rohit is now in a race against time to be fit for the crucial Test against England. As of now, there is a big possibility that he might not recover in time for the upcoming game that is scheduled to start on July 1 in Birmingham.
In his absence, Team India will have to name a new captain as well as find a new opener for the team. Recent media reports suggested that Hanuma Vihari or Srikar Bharat could open the innings but it seems the team-management wants a specialist opener to open against the high-flying hosts.
Mayank Agarwal added to India squad:
Originally, there were three openers in the Test squad that was announced in May. Apart from Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Shubman Gill were named in the team. However, Rahul was ruled out of the game due to a groin injury while Rohit is now doubtful for the game too.
That leaves only Gill as the specialist opener in the squad. And according to a report by ESPNcricinfo, Mayank Agarwal has now been added to the squad for the Test. In case Rohit fails to recover in time for the game, Agarwal looks set to open the innings alongside Gill.
The right-handed batsman was dropped from the Test team following a string of poor performances. His last Test appearance had come during the home series against Sri Lanka in March this year. In three innings against the Island Nation, he had registered scores of 33, 4 and 22.
Agarwal has not scored a Test fifty in his last 8 innings while he has scored only one century in his last 24 innings. He would be desperate to prove himself if he gets a chance against England. Another failure will further derail his international career.
Meanwhile, missing Rohit will be a huge blow for Team India. He was one of India’s performer during the first four Tests last year. In 4 Tests, he had smashed 368 runs at an average of 52.27 including a hundred at The Oval.