Although India took a 2-1 lead in the five-match T20I series against West Indies at Warner Park, Basseterre by winning the third T20I comfortably by 7 wickets, it wasn't all happy news from the Indian camp. In a major blow to the Men in Blue, captain Rohit Sharma was forced to retire hurt while chasing the Windies total after he experienced some discomfort while batting.
Later, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that it was a back spasm. While the Hitman hoped that he would be alright for the next match, in case he is unable to regain his fitness on time, here are 3 players who can open the innings along with Suryakumar Yadav.
1. Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson could be an interesting choice for an opening partner for Surya. This solves multifold problems. While the Rajasthan Royals captain will get a game after he was included in the team as KL Rahul's replacement, it will also make sure that the rest of the batting order remains the same with Samson replacing injured Rohit at the top. Moreover, Samson has batted at the top of the order and given the kind of pitch on offer and the range of strokes that he has he shouldn't mind opening the batting either.
2. Rishabh Pant
The team management has tried Rishabh Pant at the top of the order in the past which is one reason why they can look at him again, in case Rohit is not able to take the field. Pant provides a left-handed option upfront and has the strokes in his arsenal to make the best use of the fielding restrictions which make the Delhi Capitals skipper a good candidate to consider. However, bringing Pant at the top would mean finding someone to fit in the middle order.
3. Shreyas Iyer
The other option could be to simply promote the batter slotted at number 3 up the order. Shreyas and Suryakumar were involved in a great partnership in the third T20I and although Shreyas did not look at his fluent best, the team did not suffer in the end as that partnership was prompted by Rohit having to retire hurt laid the foundation of a comfortable India win. Shreyas also is a great stroke player and even at number 3 often has to play his shots with the field up in the 30-yard circle.