3 batters who can replace Ruturaj Gaikwad if he is ruled out of the India-New Zealand T20Is

Team India suffered an injury scare ahead of the three-match home T20I series against New Zealand, with Ruturaj Gaikwad likely to be ruled out with an injury. The series will get underway in Ranchi on Friday, January 27.

The Maharashtra-born cricketer has reportedly traveled to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore after reporting wrist pain. He picked up the injury during Maharashtra's recent Ranji Trophy game against Hyderabad in Pune.

Ruturaj had a discussion with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) medical team before reporting to the NCA for further treatment. While the nature of the injury is yet to be ascertained, it is most likely that he will miss the T20I series against New Zealand.

On that note, let's take a look at three batters who can replace Ruturaj if he is ruled out of the India-New Zealand T20Is.

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#3 Yash Dhull

The U19 World Cup winner made it to the headlines as one of the front-runners to be a part of India's squad for the home T20I series against Sri Lanka. Although he failed to make the cut, Yash Dhull remains a strong contender to make his international debut soon.

Since winning the U19 World Cup, he hasn't looked back. He had a superlative campaign in his debut Ranji Trophy season. Yash's white-ball numbers are even more eye-catching. The right-handed batter smashed 363 runs at an average of 72.60 in his debut Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign. He batted with a strike rate of 131.52 and finished as the highest run-scorer.

The youngster from Delhi will be a good bet to invest in if Ruturaj fails to recover in time.

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#2 Narayan Jagadeesan

The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer has been in some red-hot form in white-ball cricket. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter broke a plethora of records during the recently concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy.

He finished the campaign with 830 runs in eight matches, averaging 138.33 and striking at 125.38. He smashed 277 runs off 141 deliveries against Arunachal Pradesh, which is now the highest List A score.

The Chetan Sharma-led selection committee might be tempted to use an in-form Jagadeesan if Ruturaj misses out with the injury.

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#1 Yashasvi Jaiswal

Yashasvi Jaiswal made his first impression during the 2020 U19 World Cup, amassing 400 runs in six games at an average of 133.33. The southpaw, who is known for his eye-catching cover drives, hasn't looked back since.

He has scored tons of runs for Mumbai in domestic cricket and has also tasted success for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. The youngster already has 547 runs in 23 games at a strike rate of over 130.

Sharing the dressing room with star Indian cricketers will help Jaiswal in the future as he is likely to rule Indian cricket in the coming years. Thus, he could be a good choice to have in the mix if Ruturaj is unavailable for the series.

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