Who can fill Shikhar Dhawan’s shoes out of Pant, Iyer and Rahane?

Three names are doing the rounds as possible replacements for Shikhar Dhawan who has a broken thumb. With Dhawan ruled out for 3 weeks, who is likely to replace him? Will it be Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer or Ajinkya Rahane?

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Shikhar Dhawan has been ruled out of World Cup 2019 for three weeks after fracturing his left thumb while playing against Australia.

The news is a major blow to India’s World Cup campaign. Dhawan has been ace player for India in ICC tournaments and he showed his class with a sensational 117 against Australia after falling cheaply against South Africa in India's opening match of the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

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Shikhar Dhawan got hit by a bouncer but continued to play despite the injury and went on to score 117 off 109 balls in a 36-run victory for India over Australia. However, Dhawan did not come to field during the Australian innings.

Shikhar Dhawan has always been an impact player while representing India in ICC tournaments. He has scored six centuries and four fifties in the 20 matches that he has played in the World Cups and Champions Trophy tournaments. Dhawan has scored more than 1,200 runs in these tournaments with an average of over 65, way above his career average of 45.

In the current scenario, KL Rahul, currently India’s designated number four batsman is most likely to open with Rohit Sharma and either Vijay Shankar or Dinesh Karthik might replace him at the number four spot. The selectors might also name a replacement for Dhawan for the remaining matches.

Ambati Rayudu and Rishabh Pant are the two official standby batsmen but there are chances that the selection committee might also consider Shreyas Iyer as a replacement for Dhawan. Iyer, who plays for Mumbai and is the captain of India A side, is a solid middle-order batsman and is currently in England.

Another player who can be considered as a replacement is Ajinkya Rahane, India’s vice-captain in Test cricket. He was part of the Indian team for the 2015 World Cup.