Leg and Off: Who should open the batting for India if Abhishek Sharma is ruled out of 2nd IND vs ENG T20I 2025?

Team India have an unfortunate headache to deal with following opening batter Abhishek Sharma's injury scare on the eve of the second T20I against England at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The in-form player twisted his ankle during a routine warm-up, as per a report by the Indian Express, and is in doubt to feature in the upcoming clash.

Usually, India have a like-to-like replacement ready to take over courtesy of their blessed bench strength. However, the reliable options are presently partaking in the Ranji Trophy, and gearing up for the ODI season. This means that India will have to make the most of the players they have in the current squad.

On that note, let us take a look at the potential makeshift options India have at their disposal to replace Abhishek Sharma at the top of the order.

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#1 Tilak Varma

The most obvious choice in the event of an opener being ruled out and no options available on the bench is to bump up the No.3 to the top. In this instance, with India preferring a left-hander to pair with Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma seems as a good option for the role, at least for a short-term basis.

He has been in a sensational run of form, and his ability to take on the bowlers from the word go makes him the most similar to Abhishek Sharma out of all the possible candidates. Given his tendency to start briskly and continue to attack relentlessly makes him the perfect exponent to exploit the fielding restrictions.

Additionally, in almost all of Varma's recent outings, he has had to come out to bat inside the powerplay upon the fall of the first wicket, making him sort of a third opener instead of a No.3 batter. He came out to bat in the very first over when Sanju Samson was dismissed for consecutive ducks in South Africa, which means that he is no stranger to the role on offer.

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#2 Suryakumar Yadav

Among all the potential makeshift options, it is Suryakumar Yadav who has the most experience batting at the top of the order. He came into the spotlight with his run as an opening batter for the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

With the skipper struggling for runs and looking subdued at No.4, it seems the potential vacancy at the top of the order comes as a valuable opportunity. Suryakumar Yadav could use an avenue where he can spend a little time at the crease and set the tempo, instead of being hurried in the middle-order, trying to play catch-up.

He was dismissed for a duck in the previous contest and had lean outings in the bilateral affairs against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and South Africa. An in-form Suryakumar Yadav is a must for India in a calendar year leading up to the World Cup, and just a slight short-term re-jig to reset his rhythm, might not be a bad option in the long run.

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#3 Dhruv Jurel

Largely deployed in the lower middle-order as a finisher, Jurel has not availed a chance to showcase his white-ball ability. He has not batted above No.5 for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) too.

However, he does have the traits of a modern-day opening batter, with his flashy strokeplay, and penchant for quick run-scoring. The wicketkeeper-batter famously scored a double hundred while opening for Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy, in just his sixth outing at the first-class level.

As far as white-ball cricket is concerned, he has featured as an opener for the Gorakhpur Lions in the Uttar Pradesh T20 League. In the 2024 edition, he scored 137 runs in three matches at a strike rate of 165.06, which includes successive fifties at the top of the order.

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#4 Left-field choices

While the aforementioned names offer enough to be considered, India can dig further deep to mix things up radically if they wish to do so.

Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rinku Singh are two unorthodox roles up for the task, especially if India does not wish to stir up the secure middle order they have set in place for the long run.

Nitish Kumar Reddy did not get a chance to bat or bowl in the previous match, and this will be a recurring trend if he is confined to the lower middle order, because of the specialist bowlers and in-form top and middle-order.

He is in dire need of exposure in the shortest format, especially because he showed what he can do higher up the order. An all-rounder who leans towards batting, Reddy has chipped in with valuable contributions, for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024, and for India in the series against Bangladesh.

Being the designated finisher in a star-studded batting unit has its perils. The lack of opportunities for Rinku at the crease has been notable.

Since the 2024 T20 World Cup, Rinku Singh has only availed the opportunity to play more than 20 deliveries only twice (in 16 matches). He was promoted to No.4 in the final T20I against Sri Lanka, but could not make the most of it.

The left-handed batter could use some time at the crease, and given that he is adept against pace bowling, a no-nonsense role like the one Abhishek Sharma dons at the top of the order could be a chance for Rinku Singh to get back into the spotlight.