SA vs IND 2023: 3 players who can replace Ruturaj Gaikwad in India’s Test squad

Ruturaj Gaikwad was one of the two players to be included in all three squads for the South Africa tour. However, he has been struggling with a finger injury, which forced him out of action in the third ODI match.

To add to the woes, Gaikwad is all set to miss the two-match Test series as he won’t be able to recover in time. As a result, the management would want to name a replacement soon.

Here are three names who can be called up as a cover for Ruturaj Gaikwad:

1) Abhimanyu Easwaran

Abhimanyu Easwaran is the prime runner to replace Ruturaj Gaikwad in the squad. He has been a bit unfortunate to not make a debut for the national side to date.

Being one of the most consistent batters in the domestic circuit for some years, he deserves some opportunities for sure. He earned his maiden call-up in the Bangladesh series last year after Rohit Sharma suffered injury but he didn’t get the Test cap.

The 28-year-old is currently in South Africa with the India A team and is likely to be asked to stay back. He averages over 52 after playing 88 first-class games and recently scored an unbeaten 62 in the practice game.