If Shikhar Dhawan is ruled out of ICC Cricket WC, what does Indian playing 11 look like?

After a player of the match performance (117 off 109) on Sunday against the mighty Australian side, Indian opener, Shikhar Dhawan has got a setback with a fear of missing out rest of the matches in the on-going ICC Cricket World Cup. With Shikhar Dhawan ruled out of India’s two upcoming matches at the ICC Cricket World Cup due to a hairline fracture on his left thumb, India will need to rejig their batting order. The management is waiting for the scan results to give us a better picture of when Dhawan will return.

Read More : India Outmuscle Australia As Dhawan Stars

What will India miss:-

Dhawan is exceptional in multi-nation tournaments. He averages 65.25 in the World Cup and the Champions Trophy. He loves the English conditions as well, scoring a bulk of runs in the 2013 and 2017 Champions Trophy, both held in England.

Shikhar Dhawan had formed a solid opening partnership with Rohit Sharma in ODIs. The pair average 45.89 together and provide a strong foundation for Kohli and the middle order to build upon. Without Dhawan, India will not have a left-hander in the top 6 of the batting line-up.

What can India do:-

The most likely line up-

1. Open with KL Rahul and play Vijay Shankar at #4:-

KL Rahul was in the World-Cup squad as a back-up opener and Vijay Shankar was the first choice #4. Pushing Rahul up the order to open with Rohit and Vijay Shankar coming in at #4 plays to the strengths of both and will be a like-for-like replacement. This can be a short-term solution until Dhawan returns, if his injury is not severe. But if he is ruled out of the entire tournament, the management must consider other alternatives as well.

1. Open with KL and get DK to play at #4-

KL Rahul has almost sealed his spot in playing 11 due to his warm up match century and a handy 26 runs he scored along with Rohit Sharma during India’s first match against the Proteas, he also finished strong with a 3 ball 11 run which took India to a score past 350 mark against Australia. Now, Dinesh Kartik has been in and out of the Indian Team right since 2006. Can you believe he is among the 2007 T20 winning team? But, experience and finishing abilities can definitely get him the #4 spot.

1. Call up for Rishabh Pant:-

A massive let down in his career when DK was chosen over the inexperienced southpaw, this might just be his calling. He is devastating, has played in English conditions, where he has a test century. The only worry that India will have is the mature play, even during IPL, Rishabh Pant got out at crucial times exposing him team’s lower order which resulted in massive collapses. If he manages to overcome that, India will have a devastating #4 and a southpaw which will otherwise be lacking in the current line up.

Few surprise elements-

Since India is abundant with batting and bowling prowess, it is difficult to choose ideal combinations and stick to the winning 11, we look at some different calls which can shock fans and competitors alike-

Open with Ajinkya Rahane:-

Rahane, who is currently in the middle of an impressive County stint for Hampshire, can be recalled to open the innings with Rohit Sharma. He can play a conservative role, enabling Rohit to play more attacking. He has experience opening and is not a stranger to English conditions.

1. Open with Ambati Rayudu:-

Ambati Rayudu scored 602 runs for CSK while opening in the 2018 IPL season, with an average of 43. He is a part of the reserves for the World Cup. However, he is coming off a poor IPL season, where he batted in the middle order and struggled for consistency and form. A return to the top of the order might reignite his 2018 CSK form but it will be a big gamble.

1. Give a debut to Prithvi Shaw or Mayank Agarwal / Call up Shreyas Iyer:-

If the management wants to replace an opener with an opener only, and keep Rahul at #4, they can turn to either Prithvi Shaw or Mayank Agarwal. Both have had some experience playing in English conditions for the A team and put up some impressive numbers. But handing a debut to someone in the World Cup might not be the best idea. If they decide to switch KL to opening position then Shreyas Iyer might be another worthy candidate, he has had a fantastic domestic season, IPL season as a captain and he is surely improved as a cricketer.

The last 3 possibilities being complete gambles, we should not rule out any possibility as it is Kohli-Shastri duo and they like to surprise the opponents. Ultimately, we hope that Gabbar gets back in the playing 11 at the earliest, he deserves the spot and he has looked fantastic in the last inning, it will be a shame to not see him play the tournament. ICC tournaments and Shikhar Dhawan go hand in hand.

Originally published at Sporcial.