Even as the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced the playing XI for the third Test against Australia in the cold Christmas morning, confusion lurked around the opening combination for the MCG clash. India have swung the axe to drop both their openers – KL Rahul and Murali Vijay – and included Mayank Agarwal for the Test match. While the latter’s inclusion implies that he will open for India in the third match, the debate centres around his partner for the match. Will it be Rohit Sharma or will it be Hanuma Vihari?
Well, chief selector, MSK Prasad has dropped a massive hint during the squad announcement.
“We have called in Mayank Agarwal and he is in good form after that India A series, so naturally he gets into the side. And the way Vihari batted, it convinced everybody that he has got that sound technique to play,” said Prasad. “Going by current form, we all know that the current openers are not really living up to the expected things. That is the reason why… It’s really unfortunate. I can definitely say that it’s really unfortunate but going not only by form but we also look at the combinations – what Vihari can offer, what Parthiv Patel may not offer. All those things are taken into consideration while picking the XI.”
