3 possible replacements for Wriddhiman Saha

The Indian cricket team have been dealt a major blow as Wriddhiman Saha is most likely to miss the Test series against England. Ever since MS Dhoni decided to announce his retirement from the longest format of the game, Saha has been used almost always as the preferred wicket-keeper.

A solid wicket-keeper with all the tricks of the trade in his arsenal, Saha is also a steady batsman who can spend time in the middle and collect some useful runs. He sustained an injury to his thumb during the final stages of IPL 2018, and has been ruled out ever since.

He missed the one-off Test match against Afghanistan as well, with Dinesh Karthik returning to the side after a gap of eight years. The England series is a very important one for both the teams and Saha's exclusion will make the management sit and think about the team composition ahead of the first Test a few days after the ongoing ODI series ends.

The selectors will announce the squad after the end of the India A and England Lions game, which gives them some time to assess replacements. Will they go for the tried and tested, or will they have a surprise in store?

Here are the possible options:

#3 Rishabh Pant

IPL 2018

The classy left-handed batsman was in tremendous form during the IPL and was the biggest positive for Delhi Daredevils. Pant bagged the IPL Emerging Player of the Tournament award and was the most aggressive batsman in the tournament.

The Delhi boy is 20 years old and it would be ideal to have him in the squad. Though he might not get a chance to play, the experience will have a huge impact on his career.

He is currently in the UK and was impressive for India 'A' vs West Indies 'A'. He shone in the 2nd innings with a blistering 71-ball 67 and it helped India secure the series 1-0. He is used to the conditions and the pitches now and it won't take him much time to adapt should he be called on to play.

#2 Parthiv Patel

CRICKET-RSA-IND-TEST

Parthiv Patel has been around for a long time now but has never really got a chance to play in England. He has played 2 Tests in the United Kingdom, managing 26 runs from his 3 innings.

At 33 years old, he is still trying hard to make it back into the team. He was rarely given a chance in the IPL this season but when he was on the pitch, he was impressive all the time.

Parthiv can play as an opener as well as a middle-order batsman. He has enough experience to play in different positions and that will come in handy for India.

He had replaced Saha for the last two Tests in India's tour of South Africa as well.

#1 Sanju Samson

Australia 'A' v India 'A' - Quadrangular Series Final

Sanju Samson has been knocking on the selectors' door for a long time but has just not made the cut. He has still not made his debut for the country in Tests or ODIs.

It's high time India eased a long-term replacement for MS Dhoni into the team. He would be the ideal candidate along with Rishabh Pant to be in the squad.

Samson had a decent IPL season with the Rajasthan Royals, batting at the top of the order and pulling them out of trouble on more than a few occasions.

He has played 44 First Class matches till date, averaging a shade under 40, numbers that are good enough to warrant a place in the Indian side.