5 batsmen who can replace India's current Test batting line-up

The poor form of Indian batsmen continued in the second Test as India slumped to a huge loss at Lords. The performance of Indian batsmen has been disastrous as none of the batsmen, except for Virat Kohli, have been able to perform as per expectations.

And it's not like these players are inexperienced or playing in these conditions for the first time. Murli Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara and Dinesh Karthik, are all players who have played Test cricket in England before and they were expected to fare better than what they did. Moreover, the Indian batting line-up has been the prime reason for India's troubles playing away from home. Earlier in the year in South Africa, the bowlers did their job quite well but the batsmen had let the team down which eventually cost India the Test series. The same has continued in England too.

It is high time that the selectors take a call on these players' careers. India can't afford to lose series after series due to the inefficiency of its batsmen. Also, there are a lot of batsmen who have been putting up consistent performances in Ranji trophy and India A tours. These players provide options to the selectors in case they decide to breed in new batsmen.

Here are five such batsmen who have the ability to replace batsmen from the current Indian Test batting line-up.

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#5 Hanuma Vihari

Vihari averaged 94 in Ranji Trophy 2017-18

Hanuma Vihari has been in scintillating form in the domestic circuit and India A tours. The elegant right-hander scored 752 runs with a stunning average of 94 in Ranji trophy 2017-18. He also scored a triple century this season.

On the basis of this strong Ranji performance, Vihari was selected in the India A side. He did not disappoint the selectors and scored runs in England. Vihari has continued his golden run in the series against South Africa too.

With the middle order struggling to find good form, Vihari should be considered for a place in the Indian Test team.

#4 Prithvi Shaw

Shaw has had a couple of good Ranji Seasons for Mumbai

Prithvi Shaw is one of the most exciting talents of the country. The Mumbai youngster has been in the rich vein of form and has improved with every game that he has played. The immensely talented opening batsman is already a regular member of the Mumbai Ranji team and has impressed cricket pundits in his short first-class career.

After leading India Under 19 side to the World Cup title, Shaw impressed everyone with his temperament and technique in the IPL. Shaw was subsequently selected in India A squad for the England tour.

Shaw played some dynamic innings at the top of the order for India A and it won't be a surprise if he makes his India debut sooner rather than later.

#3 Karun Nair

Nair celebrating his Triple ton against England

Karun Nair had a dream start to his Test career scoring a triple hundred in his third match. Nair scored a sensational 303 not out against England in Chennai. But things did not shape up well for Nair after that.

After a string of poor performances in the home series against Australia, he was eventually dropped from the side. However, the 26-year-old kept on piling up runs in domestic cricket and was called back in the national side for the Test against Afghanistan.

Nair was also named the captain of the India A Test side that toured England and he did a decent job by scoring a couple of half innings. Karun Nair should be given a longer run in the Indian team.

#2 Rishabh Pant

Pant has played some mature knocks for India A

Rishabh Pant is one of the most promising talents going around the country. He has been fantastic in the domestic circuit and in the IPL. Pant has played some sparkling innings for Delhi in the Ranji trophy.

Even though his batting style seems to be suitable for limited-overs cricket, the dashing left-hand batsman has played long innings and has scored big runs in the longest format of the game. The 20-year-old has a first-class average of 54.50 with a high strike-rate of 95.24.

Pant has the ability to take the game away from the opposition with his attacking batting. Also, India is struggling with finding a stable wicket-keeper in Tests, Pant can fill in that role perfectly.

#1 Mayank Agarwal

How long can the selectors avoid Agarwal?

Mayank Agarwal has been one of the most consistent performers in the domestic circuit in the last couple of seasons. Agarwal has been scoring heftily for Karnataka in all formats and he has been able to make big match-winning hundreds.

Agarwal 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 has also played some steady innings for India A.

He seems to have learned from his mistakes of the past and looks ready to play for the national side. With Agarwal being high on confidence, this might be a good time to launch him on the International stage.