Search for India's Third Test Opener: The Race Beyond KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal

Sai Sudharsan could be one of India's opening options in Tests [Source: AFP]The Indian Test team is well and truly in a new era since the retirements of high-profile match-winners like Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin and Rohit Sharma, with Shubman Gill being the leader of the pack.Captain Gill has also slotted in perfectly at number 4 to fill Virat Kohli’s boots, averaging 71.87 in 11 Tests at the position. Similarly, Washington Sundar has become the second spinner, providing an off-spin option while being a more than handy batter.KL Rahul moved up the order, but now India find themselves in a tricky situation, with no third opening batter in the squad. While Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul have established themselves as a reliable opening pair, there is no readily available backup at Gill’s disposal.Why does India need a third opener?Yashasvi Jaiswal has averaged 38.76 since the England tour last year, with only 6 fifty-plus scores in 21 innings. KL Rahul, who has averaged 51.55 during this period, will be 35 by the time the World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle ends.Moreover, India seems to have moved on from Abhimanyu Easwaran, who was with the team as a backup opener for a long time and could be looking for different solutions, especially with long Test tours in mind.Hence, here is a brief look at the potential options that India could groom for the backup role or even take the starting spot in the near future.India’s Options For Third Opener In Tests1. Sai SudharsanIndia have already handed Sai Sudharsan his Test cap, but the batter has played all seven of his 7 Tests at number 3. He has failed to impress in the 12 innings, averaging 31.91 for 383 runs.With Devdutt Padikkal scoring two centuries in three innings at 3 in Sri Lanka, Sai Sudharsan has potentially lost his spot in the team. However, there is still hope for the 24-year-old to excel in Tests. He is a proven opener — especially in white-ball formats- and was also seen in the role during India A’s tour of Sri Lanka A earlier this year.In the two matches played, he scored 132, 7*, 168 and 25* and averaged 166 in the series. Despite batting at 3, he has previously scored 103(200), after walking in to bat in the 4th over vs Australia A, showing his ability to face the new ball. All this makes him a viable backup opening batter.Also Read: Prasidh Krishna Is Evolving, One Spell at a Time2. Aayush PandeyThe Chhattisgarh opening batter, Aayush Pandey, was another name in the squad for the Sri Lanka A tour earlier in the summer. At 22, the left-handed batter is raw, and he needs to work on consistency.During the 2023/24 Col CK Nayudu Trophy, he scored 835 runs in only 11 innings, averaging 93.He had a blockbuster Ranji Trophy season in 2024/25, scoring 744 runs in just 7 matches, with three fifties and two hundreds. Furthermore, he scored 573 runs in the 7 matches of the next season, averaging 57.30.Currently, he averages close to 47 after 20 FC matches, with four hundreds and five fifties. He scored 25 and 38 in the only clash against Sri Lanka A at Galle, but having racked up big runs at both age-group and senior level, how he fares for Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2026 will be interesting to watch.CriterionSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableDetailsSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableInningsSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table36SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableRunsSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table1493SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableAvgSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table46.65SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table50/100SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table5/4SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableHighestSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table211SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table(Aayush Pandey's FC record)3. Aman MokhadeVidarbha’s Aman Mokhade was one of the biggest breakout stars of the domestic season 2025/26, with high-quality performances across formats.In just 7 Ranji Trophy matches last season, he scored 760 runs with three fifties and three hundreds in 11 inningsHe has a habit of converting his starts into massive hundreds, which was also evident in his 814-run Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign.Mokhade is already on India’s radar after playing one match against Sri Lanka A, scoring 38 and 11* at Galle.Currently, the sample size of his FC career is only 16 matches, but going by how he went about his business in his first full season last year, he will be another player to watch out for in the Duleep Trophy 2026. 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Sanat SangwanSanat Sangwan hails from Delhi and was in the groove throughout the last Ranji Trophy season. The 25-year-old batted in 7 matches and was the third-highest run-getter in the tournament with a whopping total of 828 runs, averaging 69.Overall, with 14 FC games under his belt, he has scored 1213 runs at an average of 55.13, with three hundreds and five fifties.As things stand, the sample size is small, but looking at India’s options, he seems worthy of being groomed into a future star. He was also named in the North Zone squad for the semi-final against South Zone in the ongoing Duleep Trophy.5. Shaik RasheedShaik Rasheed is inarguably one of the most talented young batters in the country, especially in red-ball cricket. He made his FC debut at the age of 17 in 2022 and has already played a substantial number of matches.In 29 matches, he averages 46.64 with five hundreds and 10 fifties. This includes a double hundred to his name, proving his ability to bat long hours in multi-day cricket.Rasheed bats at number 3 for Andhra and South Zone, but has shown that he can handle the new ball with his solid and dependable technique. 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Danish MalewarAt just 22, Danish Malewar is a Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and Irani Cup winner, having played an instrumental role in all these titles.In his first full season, where Vidarbha clinched the Ranji Trophy, Danish Malewar was among the top-5 run-getters of the season with 783 runs in 15 innings at an average of 52.20.The right-handed batter usually bats at number 3, but is a more than capable batter against the new ball. He has a compact technique and a brilliant game against spin bowling.Danish is known for converting his starts into daddy hundreds, which has been on display right from the Cooch Behar and Col. CK Nayudu Trophy days. He has scored triple centuries and double centuries in his team's U19 domestic title win and averages 49.42 in 15 FC matches. CriterionSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableDetailsSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableInningsSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table26SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableRunsSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table1285SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableAvgSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table49.42SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table50/100SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table10/3SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableHighestSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table203SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table (Danish Malewar's FC record)Apart from these options, India can revisit the Ruturaj Gaikwad situation, but he has already played a lot of matches for India A. Some of his flaws were on display overseas; India would like to try out some batters with solid technique and more years ahead of them.Among other consistent domestic performers, who are unlikely to get a shot at the India debut are Dhruv Shorey (averages 48.70 for 5455 FC runs) and Narayan Jagadeesan (averages 46.57 for 3866 FC runs). Shorey is 34, and Jagadeesan is a wicketkeeper batter who is 30.Also Read: Harry Brook’s Arrogance Exposed By English Great