Three players who can replace KL rahul if he doesn't recover before the T20Is against the West Indies

India vice-captain KL Rahul has tested positive for COVID 19 only a week before the start of the T20I series against the West Indies. He was, recently, training at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) after undergoing a successful surgery.

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The right-hander was spotted facing Jhulan Goswami in the nets. However, the recent development has put his comeback in jeopardy as he tries to come back into competitive cricket following the sports hernia surgery.

With only one week left at the start of the series, he is likely to miss the series. After all, he will remain in the isolation for at least seven days. This gives him a very small window to prove his fitness and recover for the series in the Caribbean.

Having said that, the team would also be looking to find a suitable opener to bat with Rohit Sharma at the top. In this listicle, we will discuss three players who can open the batting with Rohit Sharma if KL Rahul doesn't recover in time.

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Three players who can open the batting

Ishan Kishan (Image Credit : Twitter)

1. Ishan Kishan

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The left-hander has opened the batting in 16 games and has 506 runs to his name. Kishan has the ability to score quickly in the powerplay. With KL Rahul missing out, he will be the front-runner to open the batting.

Also, the team will get the left-hand, right-hand combination at the top of the innings. The former India U19 skipper could be very useful in the small grounds of Trinidad, St Kitts, and Florida. 

Rishabh Pant: (Image Source: Twitter)

2. Rishabh Pant

The wicketkeeper batter was tried in the opening slot in the T20I series against England. Even though he has only scored 27 runs in two games while opening the innings, the management could continue to open the innings with him.

The Delhi player hasn't found huge success in T20 internationals. He could turn his fortunes around while opening the batting for India. The team management might be keen to look at him at the top. 

Sanju Samson: (Image Source: BCCI/IPL)

3. Sanju Samson

The Kerala player hasn't been included in the T20I team. Notably, he scored 74 runs in the T20I game against Ireland. Interestingly enough, he is part of the ODI squad.

The team management might also think about considering in the T20 squad if KL Rahul gets ruled out. Not to forget he opened the batting in the game against Ireland and could do the same in West Indies as well.