Potential Openers for Team India in the future
Most of the slots in the senior Indian national team have been filled, but their bench strength is still relatively untested. Many players are performing well in domestic cricket, so they are hoping to get a chance. Let's take a look at who is India's strongest secnd choice uncapped openers.
#1 Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant had an astounding 2018 IPL, where he was second in the line for the orange cap. He was selected for the England tour and scored a century in a huge partnership with KL Rahul. His batting, along with his wicketkeeping, is improving. He has shown a lot of versatility and has good technique. He has shown his ability to play long innings in the Ranji Trophy, where he scored a triple century.
That season he had a strike rate of above 100. He has shown that he can bat against quality bowlers, so he will be largely successful in his career. His batting average as an opener is better than his overall batting average which shows that he could bat at the opening slot. He has shown that he can play swinging ball both as an opener and as a number 6 batsman.
#2 Prithvi Shaw
Prithvi Shaw has been in tremendous form as of late. Due to his form in India A, he was selected in the squad for the England tour, but he did not get a game. He has already started receiving comparisons to Sachin Tendulkar, and he is just 18.
He is one of the best young batsmen of this generation and has shown maturity far beyond his age. He is a good captain and led India to an under 19 world cup last year. He has a decent t20 average of 34 as an opener and could play the role similar to what Sachin Tendulkar played for the team.
#3 Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer is an attacking top order batsman who has already played a few ODIs. He impressed everyone on his debut series and scored 2 half centuries. He is a top-order batsman who can bowl leg spin.
He has a good ODI strike rate and is currently being seen as a solution to India's number 4 problems, but he is also a good opener. He has a T20 batting average of 30 as an opener as opposed to his overall average of 28. His captaincy is also good and he can be a future captain.