Which Opener Will Succeed Rohit Sharma In Test Cricket For India?

It’s an announcement that’s taken Indian cricket by surprise, but only due to its timing. Indeed, Rohit Sharma has called it quits from Test cricket, bringing to an end a 12-year-long career that was filled with extremes.

While it’s unclear whether Rohit was ‘asked to retire’ or he stepped aside all by himself, considering both his form and age, all that matters now is that India have to find a successor at the top of the order for the now-retired skipper, and do it quickly. 

There’s just over a month left for the huge five-Test series against England, and India will not only need to find an opener suitable for the conditions but also someone who could be a potential long-term successor for Rohit. We look at the candidates who could fill the void left by the hitman.

Sai Sudharsan 

He is young, he is a run-machine, and he looks like he was born to bat long and frustrate bowlers. 23-year-old Sai Sudharsan, despite his incredible returns in the IPL, has always been seen as someone destined to succeed in the longer formats of the game (both 50-over cricket and Tests), and Rohit’s retirement might just be the perfect opportunity to blood him in and give the left-hander a long run.

Now, Sudharsan *only* averages 39.93 in red-ball cricket but his potential is unquestionable, and he clearly seems to be someone the management is very high on, considering he’s already played six games for India A. Sudharsan’s penchant for batting long is evidenced by the fact that two of the seven hundreds he’s scored have been 175+ scores, with one of them being a double ton.

This England series could be the perfect time to blood him in is because Sudharsan already has County experience under his belt. Despite only being 23, he has represented Surrey five times and he’s done alright in those games, averaging 35 while racking up a ton. 

While Sudharsan has not broken the door down by scoring mountains of red-ball runs like, say, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Mayank Agarwal, he is someone who certainly possesses all the tools to succeed. And given how the new management have rewarded potential by fast-tracking players like Nitish Kumar Reddy, Dhruv Jurel and Harshit Rana, it won’t be a surprise if Sudharsan opens the batting alongside Jaiswal come June. 

Devdutt Padikkal

Someone who has earned his way up in the red-ball scheme of things is Devdutt Padikkal. He has hit new levels in red-ball batting in the last 18 months or so. He debuted for India in the five-Test series against England at home last year and also played in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy following impressive showings in the ‘A’ tour games on literal minefields.

Now, Padikkal does not come with the same reputation as Sudharsan, but his numbers have been outstanding of late. In 2024, he hammered 1,222 runs at an average of 50.92, playing one of the knocks of the year in the Duleep Trophy representing India D, smashing 92 off 124 against India A, an innings in which none of his teammates scored over 32. 

Again, Padikkal might seem like a veteran due to how long he’s been around, but he’s just 24 and is someone who has enormous room for growth. We’ve already seen his T20 batting evolve in the ongoing IPL, where he’s been striking at 150.00 - his best ever strike rate in any season.

He’s certainly a wildcard to replace Rohit up top. 

Abhimanyu Easwaran

Abhimanyu Easwaran’s reputation took a significant hit following his failure in the ‘A’ series in Australia, where he averaged just 9.00, but the 29-year-old is still the most prolific opener in the country in domestic cricket and will certainly be on the management’s radar. 

It is worth remembering that, since 2022, Easwaran has smashed 3,068 runs in FC cricket at an average of 60, with 13 hundreds — these runs and stats definitely count for something. 

Both the aforementioned youngsters are lefties, but Easwaran being a right-hander, might work in his favour given he will be succeeding an RHB. Additionally, at 29, Easwaran understands his game inside out and is at his peak. He will hence be a good option for both the short and long term.

However, it remains to be seen whether the current management rates him highly. The fact that he warmed the bench in the BGT, even when both Rohit and Gill were unavailable, suggests he might have to prove himself to head coach Gautam Gambhir to get into the Test side. 

Karun Nair 

Karun Nair is an absolute wildcard here, considering he has only opened the batting thrice in FC cricket in the 114 games he’s played. But he might not be a bad option after all. 

Nair powered Vidarbha to the Ranji title this year, and it came on the back of an extraordinary run where he hit three hundreds and an 86 in the last four games of the season. Overall, since his cricketing ‘rebirth’ in 2022, Nair has scored 2,580 runs in FC cricket at an average of 51.6, with nine hundreds in 32 games. 

Why he might actually be a good short-term fit, if not a long-term one, is because in this period, he’s actually been outstanding in English conditions, smashing 736 runs at an average of 57 for Northamptonshire. 

Now, the caveat is that about 90% of these runs have come at No.4 and No.5, and we all know that opening is a different ballgame compared to batting in the middle-order. Even Steve Smith, the greatest batter this century, struggled to adjust to life as an opener. 

However, Nair is someone who is technically strong and he would hence feel that if someone like Usman Khawaja can go up the order and reinvent himself, he can do the same as well. Again, at 33, Nair understands his game inside out and is batting as well as he’s ever done. 

India have previously had the likes of Pujara and Dravid open the batting in England as makeshift openers. Trying Nair might be worth the punt after all. 

The Wildcard Options

Shubman Gill: Shubman Gill has been batting at No.3 for the last 18 months, but Rohit's departure gives India the option to open the batting with him. It will eventually come down to whether India see Gill as a long-term opener, or a long-term successor for Virat Kohli at No.4. Either way, he can certainly do the job in the England series at least. He still opens the batting for Punjab in FC cricket, so it's not something he's given up altogether.

Ruturaj Gaikwad: A very, very left-field choice, but if the management feel that they need a strokemaker akin to Rohit at the top of the order, Gaikwad might be someone they might look at. The management do rate him; after all, he captained India 'A' in the series against Australia last year. But Gaikwad will need to pile on the runs in red-ball cricket to come into consideration. His current numbers, an average just over 40, won't cut it for someone who is 28 years of age and should hence be at their peak.