India in Australia 2020: Who can replace Rohit Sharma in the side as opener for ODIs and T20Is?

Rohit Sharma missed the ODI series against New Zealand earlier in 2020 and in his absence, Mayank Agarwal opened the innings for India. Agarwal did not have a memorable ODI debut as he ended the series with mere 36 runs to his name. The right-handed batsman impressed the fans with his IPL 2020 performance. He played a significant role in the little success that the Kings XI Punjab achieved this year as he registered his maiden IPL ton against the Rajasthan Royals. Agarwal has sealed his spot as a Test opener, and a consistent performance in the limited-overs series versus the Aussies could help him secure his place in the other formats as well. (Image credit: Twitter)

Virat Kohli is a legend in limited-overs cricket. But, can he open the innings? His numbers in T20s and ODIs are mixed. Virat Kohli often scores big when he gets a chance to open the innings in T20s, registering all of his five IPL tons while opening the innings. As an opener in IPL, Kohli has scored 2345 runs in 61 innings at a magnificent average of 47.86. His strike rate of 140.17 as an opening batsman is much better than his career strike rate. However, Virat Kohli has also opened the innings for India 13 times in white-ball cricket but has only amassed 198 runs in seven T20I innings, while in the six ODI innings he has managed 161 runs at an average of 26.83. (Image credit: Twitter)

KL Rahul was the Orange Cap winner in IPL with over 600 runs and is the number one contender to open the innings for the Indian cricket team in all six limited-overs matches. The Kings XI Punjab skipper had his best IPL season in the United Arab Emirates. The wicket-keeper batsman was in the form of his life during the New Zealand tour earlier this year. Virat Kohli used him in the middle-order during the ODI series. However, it is unlikely that Rahul would bat in the middle-order again after his exploits in IPL 13 in the UAE. Apart from vice-captaincy and keeping, Rahul might be the opener India needs for stability in the absence of Rohit. (Image credit: Twitter)

Sanju Samson impressed everyone with his clean-hitting and played a couple of game-changing knocks for Rajasthan Royals. His batting in the powerplay overs puts him in a good position to open. Samson is yet to make his ODI debut. He has played four T20Is but has not impressed. The Australian tour will provide him a platform to prove himself at the international level. A decent performance against Australia could make him the number one candidate to don the gloves for India in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup. But, with KL Rahul in the side, he has to perform incredibly well. (image credit: BCCI Twitter)

Shubman Gill was one of the key players for the Kolkata Knight Riders and this has earned Gill another chance in the Indian squad. Shubman Gill opened the innings for the two-time IPL winners in the UAE. He was their most consistent batsman, scoring 440 runs in 14 innings at an average of 33.85. Shubman smacked three half-centuries this season for KKR and he has majorly played as an opener for them. Shubman Gill will likely make his return to the Indian ODI team during the Australia limited-overs series as India looks to expand their depth of talent in the batting. (Image credit: Twitter)