IND vs ENG 2021: 3 players who can replace Ajinkya Rahane at Kennington Oval

"I am happy that people are talking about me, I always believe people talk about important people,"

That is what Ajinkya Rahane had said in the lead up to the third Test against England at Headingley. While the quote holds true on certain occasions, it is certainly not for Team India's vice-captain in the red-ball format.

The Test specialist has only managed six centuries since 2016 in comparison to England captain Joe Root, who has struck six tons alone in 2021. Ajinkya Rahane's last Test hundred was in Melbourne when he helped India stage an epic comeback from a 36 all-out in Adelaide.

Apart from the Melbourne knock, Rahane's performance has been below par. Although he played a crucial knock of 61 runs at Lord's, the Mumbai-born batter is miles away from consistency.

In the recently-concluded Headingley Test, Rahane managed only 28 runs. While it was a collective failure in the first essay, a lot was expected out of Ajinkya Rahane on day 4 after Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma put India back in the game on day 3.

The right-handed batsman showed some intent with a front-foot punch early in his innings. However, it sank soon after while chasing a fifth stump delivery off James Anderson. The outcome was inevitable after Ajinkya Rahane's dismissal as India crumbled from 215/2 to 278 all out, facing an innings defeat.

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With only 95 runs under his belt in five innings, including a half-century, Ajinkya Rahane's chances of retaining a berth in the playing XI hangs by the wire. On that note, let's take a look at three options who can replace the veteran batsman in the fourth Test in London.

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#1 Hanuma Vihari

Hanuma Vihari's talent is getting wasted sitting on the sidelines due to management's pre-decided template of playing four fast bowlers. With Ajinkya Rahane failing consistently, Vihari is a tested option who can bat anywhere in the order.

Vihari is yet to get a chance after his fighting knock in Sydney, where he batted for 161 deliveries with a cramped leg to save the Test match for India alongside Ravichandran Ashwin. Besides, he also scored a half-century on his Test debut at the Oval during India's last tour in 2018.

With India's middle-order woes far from solving, Hanuma Vihari certainly deserves a shot to replace Ajinkya Rahane in the fourth match at Kennington Oval.

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#2 Suryakumar Yadav

As we continue to talk about Suryakumar Yadav, the white-ball batsman, the Mumbai cricketer boasts an equally excellent record in first-class cricket. So far, Yadav has played 77 matches, scoring 5326 runs, including 14 centuries at an average of 44.01.

Suryakumar formed an integral part of Mumbai's batting lineup as they dominated the domestic tournaments for over a decade.

Incidentally, he came into the squad as India lost a couple of crucial players owing to injuries leading to the crucial series. Suryakumar Yadav could be a strong contender to replace Ajinkya Rahane in the penultimate Test of the series.

While the conditions might be alien to him, but as they say, greats are destined to perform amid all adversities. Most recently, former India cricketer Farokh Engineer also backed the inclusion of Suryakumar Yadav in the playing XI ahead of Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara.

“Firstly, I am a huge fan of Suryakumar Yadav. I think he is a class player. I would certainly prefer him to Pujara or Rahane. They are class players, very good players, but Suryakumar Yadav is a match-winner,” Farokh Engineer told Sports Tak in an interview.

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#3 Mayank Agarwal

Injuries are part and parcel of every sportsperson's career. A similar injury in the head hours ahead of the first Test in Nottingham ruled Mayank Agarwal out of action. KL Rahul partnered with Rohit Sharma at the top and made full use of the opportunity.

He scored 84 in the first innings and backed it with an outstanding century at Lord's to seal his berth in the playing XI. While management is likely to continue with a similar combination in the final two Tests, Mayank is a viable option in the middle-order.

Although most of his stints have come as an opener, Mayank Agarwal has batted twice in the middle-order. While he scored 38 batting at No.5, the Karnataka-born batsman managed only 9 batting once at No.6.

As India look for long-term solutions, Mayank wouldn't be a bad option to try in place of Ajinkya Rahane considering that Virat Kohli & Co have enough options for the opener's slot.