Players who have the potential to become the next Sehwag in Tests

As India grapples with the opening batting conundrum going into the third Test, it would be interesting to look at the players who have the potential to become the next Virender Sehwag. Sehwag, himself was never an opening batsmen and this role was thrust upon him by his skipper Ganguly. He turned out to be one of the best opening batsman which India has ever produced.

Here are five players who have the potential to become the next Sehwag in Test cricket:

Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma started off as a middle order batsman in ODIs. In 2013, Dhoni decided to promote him as an opener which proved to be a turning point in his career. He has already scored a couple of double hundreds and holds the record of the highest individual score in ODIs. Rohit is a gifted player and natural stroke-maker. When he is on song, he can decimate any bowling attack.

In tests, Rohit has promised a lot but has failed to deliver. He has been tried at different positions in the middle order sometimes even at the expense of the likes of Pujara and Rahane. This seems to have not worked and now Rohit finds himself out of the test team.

Kohli should do a Ganguly and make a bold move of promoting Rohit Sharma to the opening slot in Tests.

KL Rahul

KL Rahul should be given a longer run

KL Rahul is part of the current Indian test squad touring England but his position is not defined. Rahul is an opening batsman but he has been pushed to No 3 in tests and No 4 in ODIs. This does not augur well for his confidence. He should be given a long run as an opener in tests. Rahul is an explosive batsman and has the capability of playing all the shots in the book. He has shown what he is capable of in IPL and T20s.

Mayank Agarwal

Mayank Agarwal

Mayank Agarwal has been part of the growing list of fringe players for a while now. He is an attacking opening batsman and has modelled his batting technique on the veteran opener Sehwag. Mayank had a wonderful Ranji season wherein he amassed a whopping 1160 runs at an incredible average of 105. The Karnataka lad is a regular with India A squad and has been a consistent performer.

Prithvi Shaw

Prithvi Shaw

Prithvi Shaw became a household name when he led India to victory in the U-19 World Cup, 2018. This stylish batsman from Delhi, though only 19 years of age, is already leaving a mark on the domestic circuit. He has an average of 56 in his short first-class career spanning 14 matches. Prithvi is part of the India A team as an opening batsman and has been very successful.

Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant

Another young prodigy who is reputed for tonking the cricket ball really hard. Pant is already part of the current Indian squad as a backup keeper for Dinesh Karthik. He is used to playing up the order can be used an attacking option upfront. He is a fearless cricketer and loves to go after the pace bowlers.