Shaik Rasheed, the 21-year-old being groomed to replace Kohli and Rohit at No. 3

Shaik Rasheed, a 21-year-old cricketer, is being groomed to potentially replace Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as the No. 3 batsman for India. At the BCCI Centre of Excellence, Rasheed faced a setback when he was injured, requiring a short break and a targeted session to overcome his discomfort. He has been working on specific deliveries that troubled him, drawing inspiration from the back-foot cover drive of Joe Root, a batsman he idolises.

Rasheed regularly watches Root's videos to learn from his techniques and strives to construct his innings effectively under different conditions. Rasheed's current form is promising, having scored consistently in the Under-19 World Cup and the Ranji Trophy, including three centuries and two fifties in the last Ranji season. However, he acknowledges that his current numbers are not enough to secure a spot in the Test team.

Rasheed remains committed to evolving as a batsman and credits his recent improvement to shadow practice, a technique he picked up during the IPL. He emphasizes the importance of visualisation in his preparation for games, visualising specific bowlers and working on his shots. Despite playing limited IPL matches, Rasheed remains optimistic about his future, attributing his development to the lessons he learned from watching and playing alongside Mike Hussey.

His coach, Devdutt Padikkal, believes Rasheed is on the cusp of becoming a regular in the Test team.