What Mayank Agarwal’s call up for England Test means

Opener Mayank Agarwal has been called up for India’s upcoming Test, scheduled to start on July 1, against England at Edgbaston. The 31-year-old will join the squad on Monday and as per the latest travel advisory will not be required to quarantine upon arrival. This means he will be available for selection. 

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Agarwal had been left out of the Indian squad that travelled to England. However, an injury to KL Rahul and doutbs over skipper Rohit Sharma’a availability after he tested positive for COVID-19, means he has a chance in the playing 11. 

What other options do India have?

With Rohit Sharma’s particpation a doubt and KL Rahul down, India will have to look for openers. Shubman Gill is one sure shit option but the team might have to rely on Mayank Agarwal or Srikar Bharat at the top. 

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So Agarwal does have a good chance of playing vs England. 

What spoils his chances?

India are yet to take a call on Rohit Sharma. A slight chance and the skipper will play. He will most likely open with Gill, taking Mayank Agarwal out of the equation. 

The 31-year-old last played a Test match March when India defeated Sri Lanka 2-0. He could manage only 59 runs in the two Tests. Agarwal then represented Karnataka during the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals against Uttar Pradesh.

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He captained the Punjab Kings in IPL 2022 and managed to score 196 runs at an average of 16.33 and strike rate of 122.5. Mayank Agarwal’s form ruins his case in England. 

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Srikar Bharat (wk), Mayank Agarwal