Sanjay Manjrekar said that India should contemplate sending back KL Rahul to open the batting as the Boxing Day Test between India and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground is set for a thrilling finish. Manjrekar said that Rohit Sharma should drop to No.3 with all four results possible in the MCG Test.
Since returning to the national team, Rohit has scored only 22 runs from four innings at an average of 5.50, having entered double digits only once. In the first innings of the Melbourne Test, it was Pat Cummins who accounted for his wicket after Rohit mistimed a pull shot.
“Ideally, you would want KL Rahul back at the top because it’s important to have an opening start. With the kind of form Rohit Sharma has been in, you are hoping against hope that he has another long innings under his belt. Rahul at the top restores a little more confidence, and it’s been a successful opening pair in the series. That could happen and No.3 for Rohit may not be too different from batting at the top of the order,” Manjrekar told Star Sports.
At Stumps on Day 4, Australia were at 228 for nine on the back of Scott Boland and Nathan Lyon’s unbeaten 55-run partnership. Australia’s lead of 333 already means that India need to record the highest successful run-chase at the MCG in Test cricket when they come out to bat.
Manjrekar also reckoned that the Australians are likely to find it tough to dismiss Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar when the Kookaburra ball becomes old and soft.
“But the real dangerman apart from the top four are people like Pant, who is used to playing a great innings. As the Kookaburra ball gets soft, you have got three guys Australia will find it tough to get out. Jadeja, Reddy and Sundar. With the Indian batting running deep and with a soft Kookaburra ball, Australia will have to bowl really well to clean up the entire Indian batting lineup,” Manjrekar added.
Early on Day 5, India would be looking to take the last Australian wicket and then plan their run-chase on a pitch that has deteriorated.
