There are reports coming out from Melbourne that India’s third opener KL Rahul might get a look-in to the side for the Boxing Day Test. If he is given a nod in the playing XI, it will be a direct swap which might see in-form opener Murali Vijay leaving way for the debutant.
Vijay hardly had a hit in the nets ahead of the test which brings in a possibility of the Tamil Nadu man not being 100% fit ahead of the all-important clash at the MCG. If it is the case, Vijay’s absence will hurt India as he has scored 323 runs in 4 innings which includes a century at Brisbane and two fifties at Adelaide, where he got out on 99 in the second innings.
There were also some news coming in that middle-order batsman Suresh Raina too had a long session in the nets which brings in possibilities of him replacing struggling Rohit Sharma at number 6. Rohit Sharma has managed to score just 81 in the four innings at an average of 21 in this series and it is time for the talented batsman to perform or perish.
In all likelihood, skipper Dhoni will persist with Rohit for the third test and if Vijay’s injury speculations are true, KL Rahul might come into the team instead of Vijay.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the likely candidate to be a part of the playing XI if he proves his fitness ahead of the match. In that case, Bhuvneshwar will replace Varun Aaron.
Likely Playing XI: Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav.