5 players who could have replaced Murali Vijay instead of Shikhar Dhawan
Having missed the IPL to undergo shoulder surgery to be fit for the Test series against Sri Lanka, Murali Vijay will be utterly disappointed to have missed out on the upcoming three-match series that begins on July 26. Shikhar Dhawan has been announced as his replacement for the Test series and will be looking to make the most of the Tamil Nadu batsman's absence.
On the back of impressive performances in the IPL, finishing as the leading run-scorer in the Champions Trophy 2017 and two fifties in the five-match ODI series against West Indies helped Dhawan secure his spot in the side. Although there is no doubt that Dhawan deserved a spot in the side, there were others India have gone with as well, to replace Vijay.
Here are 5 players who could have replaced Murali Vijay instead of Shikhar Dhawan:
#1 Gautam Gambhir
Having played for India in the series against England in 2016, Gautam Gambhir can certainly count himself unlucky to not have made it into the Indian squad to face Sri Lanka as a replacement for Murali Vijay. The southpaw wasn't in great form last season in the Ranji Trophy and that might be what Shikhar Dhawan was picked ahead of him.
Over 4,000 Test runs at an average of over 40 highlights just how consistent Gambhir has been at the top of the order for India in the longest format of the game. But Dhawan's excellent form in the Champions Trophy meant that the 35-year-old was overlooked after Murali Vijay's injury.
With Abhinav Mukund already in the squad, it will be interesting to see if Dhawan does indeed feature in the Test series or is just there as a back-up.