3 Openers who could replace Shikhar Dhawan for the West Indies series

India's settled opener in all the three formats, Shikhar Dhawan regained his form in the Asia Cup after going through a dark phase in England. The southpaw has already scored a couple of centuries in the tournament so far.

However, a report released earlier today said that Dhawan will probably miss out the West Indies Test series, creating a slot for newcomers. Another opener Prithvi Shaw who accompanied the team in last two England Tests is expected to make his debut in the series.

Meanwhile, apart from him, India might look out for a few other openers before finalizing the squad. The selection committee was originally scheduled to announce the same on Wednesday, which though was postponed due to the Asia Cup final.

In this piece, we have tried to find the best possible replacements for Dhawan in the series:

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#1 Mayank Agarwal

Mayank Agarwal

Karnataka's Mayank Agarwal is one of the famous faces of Indian domestic cricket, however, he has been unlucky to have not represented the country internationally yet.

Averaging 50.85 in List A while 49.92 in First-class cricket, Agarwal was the highest run-getter in both Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy during the 2017-18 seasons. Mayank made 1160 in the four-dayers and 723 runs in the one-day tournament.

The 27-year-old recently had an unforgettable stint with India A as well. He scored few match-winning knocks, guiding his team to the title triumph in the Quadrangular Series last month.

In spite of these swashbuckling performances, Agarwal hasn't been picked by national selectors for any of the formats yet. With Dhawan expected to be dropped from the West Indies Test series, Mayank could finally make it to the team.

#2 Faiz Fazal

Faiz Fazal

Another high-profile name in Indian domestic cricket, Faiz Fazal has been going through a dream run currently as the Nagpur born cricketer came out as winning-skipper in almost every domestic tournament this season.

By scoring 912 runs at an average of 70.15 in Ranji Trophy 2017-18, he helped his team, Vidarbha, lift the trophy for the first time. He later continued his form by scoring a match-winning ton in the Irani Trophy as well.

33 years old, Fazal has over 7000 first-class runs and could be a well-deserved replacement for Shikhar Dhawan for the West Indies Test series.

#3 Abhinav Mukund

Abhinav Mukund

The left-handed Tamil Nadu opener, Abhinav Mukund, is another valuable candidate who can replace Dhawan in the series.

The 28-year-old has already opened the innings for India earlier. He has appeared in seven Tests and scored 320 runs at an average of 23. However, his domestic figures are much better than this.

He recently played few cameos in the Duleep Trophy and had a good Ranji season as well. On the back of 26 centuries and 34 fifties, Mukund has above 9000 runs in 131 first-class matches. His numbers suggest that he might also be taken in consideration before India announces the squad for the Windies Test series.