Australia vs India 2018-19: 4 possible replacements for the injured Prithvi Shaw for the first Test

Team India got a jolt on Friday when opener Prithvi Shaw was ruled out of the first Test against Australia due to an ankle injury sustained during the ongoing practice match.

Shaw scored a century on debut in the home series against the West Indies, and has been showing a lot of promise as a next-generation opener for the team. Now his injury has come as a big blow for Virat Kohli's men ahead of the Adelaide Test.

There are four possible replacements in the squad to replace Shaw and one who is out of the squad - Mayank Agarwal. But before looking at the possible replacements, we have to first analyse India's likely team composition for the first Test.

The Adelaide wicket has traditionally been a wicket which favours the batsmen more than the bowlers. The slow bowlers would be expected to get into the action earlier as compared to other venues in Australia, with the exception of Sydney. India would be pleased to be playing the first Test at Adelaide rather than at Brisbane or Perth.

Taking into consideration the conditions expected in the first Test, India are likely to go in with two spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. That rules out the possibility of going in with six batsmen at the start of the series. It would also be a negative move from the team’s point of view to do so.

Being a positive captain, Kohli would love to face the Australian challenge with five bowlers. He would be expecting Rishabh Pant, Jadeja and Ashwin to contribute with the bat and justify the balance of the team.

Against this background, a vacancy has now arisen at the top of the order owing to the injury to Shaw. The Indians have four options to replace Shaw, which are as follows:

1. Murali Vijay

Murali Vijay, though an obvious choice, is not in the best of form

This would be a direct swap, an opener for an opener. It would be the most logical move, especially considering Vijay's past record in Australia.

But the problem for India is that Vijay, just like the other opener KL Rahul, is not in the best of form at the moment. Going into the first Test of a series with two out-of-form openers could prove fatal for India as it would expose the middle-order sooner rather than later.

Hence, this option, though logical, may not be a judicious one.

2. Parthiv Patel

Parthiv Patel - Another make-shift opening option for India

The Indians do have a make-shift opener in the squad in the form of Parthiv Patel. Parthiv has opened for India in Test matches in the past whenever a regular opener was injured or to maintain the team balance and to improve the strength of the middle-order.

He has been fairly successful as an opener in Indian conditions, but not on overseas wickets. When Parthiv opened for India for the last time, against South Africa at the Wanderers, he was dismissed cheaply for 16.

Based on his current form, Rishabh Pant deserves a place in the team as the wicket-keeper. Hence, drafting Parthiv into the team as a specialist opener is highly unlikely.

3. Hanuma Vihari

Hanuma Vihari - A fair option

The third and fourth options necessitate Chateshwar Pujara to move up the order to the opener's spot. The entire batting line-up would have to move one position above in order to create a spot in the middle-order.

Hanuma Vihari started his Test career with a half-century against England at the Oval. However, he couldn’t find a place in the team in the home series against the West Indies, when India opted to go in with five bowlers.

Now, in the absence of Shaw, he finds himself in the reckoning for a spot in the middle-order. Vihari is also a useful part-time off-spinner.

Although Vihari is a fair option in the middle-order, his selection is doubtful considering the other big names in the middle-order.

4. Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma - The most tempting option

Rohit Sharma is back into the Test squad on the basis of his performances in white ball cricket. Besides, experts feel that the fast and bouncy wickets of Australia would suit stroke-makers like him.

Over the years, master blasters like Sandeep Patil, Kris Sreekanth and Virender Sehwag have succeeded in Australia. The Indian team management would be delighted to see Rohit Sharma succeed in Australia, following the footsteps of these great players.

However, promoting Rohit as an opener in Australian conditions might backfire. He still hasn't proven his mettle against quality pace and swing, and if he becomes a liability in the team, that could seriously harm India's chances of starting the series on a good note.

To sum up, Murali Vijay is the obvious and safe option, Parthiv Patel the most unlikely option, Hanuma Vihari a fair option and Rohit Sharma the most tempting and attractive option. The unfortunate injury to Prithvi Shaw has opened up opportunities for many other contenders in the Indian team.