Australia vs India 2018-19, Fourth Test: 2 players who can replace Rohit Sharma in the Playing XI
India pulled off a historic win against Australia in the Boxing Day Test match to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India will now look to seal the series in Sydney where they will be taking on Australia in the final match of the series.
Rohit Sharma will miss the final Test match as he will be travelling to India to attend the birth of his child. It will be the second game that he will be missing in the series. Hanuma Vihari replaced the injured Rohit Sharma for the second Test match at Perth. Coming off a win, it will be interesting to see how the team management would tackle Rohit's absence for the final game.
On that note, here are two players who could replace Rohit Sharma in the playing XI at Sydney.
Hardik Pandya
After the loss at Perth, the Indian team included all-rounder Hardik Pandya for the final two games against Australia. In his return match after the injury layoff, Hardik was impressive in the Ranji game he played for Baroda. However, Pandya was not included in the playing XI for the third Test.
Pandya is a good No.6 batsman and can be an additional bowling option too. With no risk of losing the series, it would be wise to reduce the burden on the pacers of the Indian team keeping in mind their upcoming commitments.
Hardik has the potential to develop into a world-class all-rounder in Tests. He needs more opportunities with the bat to prove himself. At No.6 or No.7, Hardik's batting abilities can be tested in the upcoming game. He can bat with the tailenders and accumulate some crucial runs for the team.