IND vs AUS: Three players who can replace Rohit Sharma in Perth Test

India captain Rohit Sharma was not part of the first batch of players who travelled to Australia on Sunday (November 10), and he is not going to be among the second match as well, who will take their voyage on Monday (November 11).

The crucial five-match Test series against Australia is set to start on November 19 and the first encounter will be at the Optus Stadium in Perth.

Rohit Sharma's non-departure means the India captain is effectively out of contention for the first Test. Jasprit Bumrah looks set to lead the Indian team down under in the very important match.

Why is Rohit Sharma not travelling to Australia?

Rohit is not in the Australia-bound flight for personal reasons. It is likely that the India captain is staying back for the birth of his second child.

Rohit's absence will be a big headache for the Indian team, who are already short of options in terms of openers. Yashasvi Jaiswal looks set to be one half of the openers, while someone other will have to fill in for Rohit.

Who can replace Rohit Sharma as opener for 1st Test?

India do have a few players who can come in for Rohit Sharma. Here is the players who may come in as opener in the first Test along with Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Abhimanyu Easwaran

Abhimanyu Easwaran has been picked as the third opener in the team but he had a dismal outing against Australia A in the two unofficial Test matches. The Bengal batter has been a prolific scorer in domestic cricket but his form down under is very poor. In the last four innings, Easwaran could only manage 36 runs. But the 29-year-old can make his debut in the Perth Test.

KL Rahul

After massive struggles in the home Tests, KL Rahul was sent to Australia earlier. He played the second unofficial Test against Australia A but failed to make any impact. Rahul has a decent record down under and may well be chosen to open the innings despite his poor form.

Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill was moved down to no. 3 to accommodate Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top of the order. But with Rohit's impending absence, Gill may be reinstated at the top along with Jaiswal. In that case, India may bring in KL Rahul or Dhruv Jurel in the middle order. Jurel had a fantastic outing in the 2nd unofficial Test against Australia A where he scored two half-centuries.