3 openers who could have performed better than Dhawan and Vijay

After losing the first Test against England, the Indian team has a lot to ponder before heading into their second match of the series. A major reason for Indian cricket team's defeat was the failure of the Indian batsmen. If it was not for Virat Kohli's miraculous efforts, India would have been beaten quite comprehensively.

While all the batsmen, except for the brilliant Kohli, struggled to get going, it was the openers who failed to provide a solid start in both the innings. Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay played loose shots which led to their downfall.

The other batsmen found it difficult to recover from the bad start and were thus unable to play their natural game under the excess pressure they were under, having lost two wickets so soon.

This has been a recurring problem for some time now. The Indian openers' failure to perform in overseas conditions has made life difficult for the other batsmen. There haven't been meaningful contributions from the openers, and the selectors and team management should take a call on the current openers' future in the team.

It is not as if there aren't other options available. Players have performed well in the domestic tournaments and India A tours and it is high time that new opening batsmen are groomed.

Here, we look at three such openers who should be considered for the opening batsmen's spot in the Indian Test team.

---

#3 Faiz Fazal

Fazal led Vidarbha to Ranji trophy triumph in 2017-18

Faiz Fazal has been putting up some impressive performances in the domestic circuit in the last few years. The elegant left-hand batsmen played some spectacular innings for Vidarbha in the 2017-18 Ranji season and scored 912 runs at an outstanding average of 70.15.

He also scored five hundred's with 206 being his highest score in the season. Fazal was the captain of Vidarbha and was instrumental in his team's historic title victory. Even though he is 32 years old, his tight technique and calm demeanour might be the need of the hour for the Indian Test team.

#2 Prithvi Shaw

Shaw has achieved a lot in his short career

One of the finest young talents in the country, Prithvi Shaw has been making the headlines with some eye-catching batting. The youngster is on a purple patch. After leading the India U19 team to World Cup triumph, Shaw played some stunning innings for Delhi Daredevils in the IPL.

He was subsequently selected in the India A side for the tour of England. The Mumbai batsmen showcased his batting talent in England as well. After some fine performances in the ODI tri-series, Shaw made a brilliant 188 off just 169 balls against West Indies A in the first unofficial Test played at Beckenham.

With the regular openers performing poorly, this might be a perfect time to invest in the youngster.

#1 Mayank Agarwal

Agarwal had a phenomenal domestic season

One player who will be most disappointed for not being part of the Indian Test squad will be Mayank Agarwal. Agarwal has done everything he could have but still finds himself out of the Test side.

The Karnataka batsman broke almost every domestic batting record in the 2017-18 season. He scored 1160 runs in Ranji trophy at a mind-blowing average of 105.45. Agarwal ended the Indian domestic season with 2,141 runs, which is a record aggregate for a batsman in all formats. He also played some steady innings for India A in England.

For his exceptional show at the domestic level, Agarwal should be rewarded with a place in the national side.