Shubman Gill's injury has reopened the doors for Mayank Agarwal to leave an impression as an opener in the Indian Test setup. The 30-year-old wasn't at his best in Australia, and after Rohit Sharma's arrival, he dropped down to bat at No. 5 in Brisbane.
Agarwal sat out the entire home series against England, but on Tuesday in Durham, he would be opening the batting for India in the first-class fixture against County Select XI.
K.L. Rahul, Agarwal's Karnataka and Punjab Kings team-mate, will keep wickets as Rishabh Pant is not likely to be match-ready soon after fighting COVID-19. Sportstar understands the 23-year-old has completed the mandatory 10-day quarantine and is recovering fast. He will join the team's bubble shortly and will be available for selection in the first Test starting August 4 in Nottingham.
READ: Virat Kohli-led Indian team undergoes net session in Durham
It will also be a comeback for Rahul - the batsman - who last played a Test match for India in 2019 in the West Indies.
Among the bowlers, Mohammed Siraj will be keen on exploiting the conditions on his maiden tour, while Jasprit Bumrah looks to repair his length. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin already turned a few heads by claiming 6/27 for Surrey against Somerset in the County Championship.
Easwaran, Saha to join bubble on July 23
India's throwdown specialist Dayanand Garani's COVID positive report forced three others into isolation who were in close contact. Reserve opener Abhimanyu Easwaran, wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha and bowling coach Bharat Arun have been isolating in London for over a week.
Easwaran and clan will join the team's bio-bubble on July 23.
The County Select XI will have a couple of international players, James Bracey and Haseeb Hameed, and will be led by Warwickshire all-rounder Will Rhodes.
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