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Twitterati concerned about Shaw" title="India tour of Australia: Full Schedule
KL Rahul:
The Karnataka batsman was the frontrunner as the opening partner alongside in-form Prithvi Shaw. The right-handed batsman whose position as an opener was under doubt until last night has certainly emerged as a first-choice opener.
Rahul was the only prominent Indian batsman to miss out on a significant knock in the practice game against Cricket Australia XI. In an innings in which five India batsmen struck the fifties, Lokesh Rahul was dismissed for a paltry 3. This forced India's assistant coach Sanjay Bangar say the Karnataka batsman needs to show some responsibility.
In Shaw's absence, Rahul - who scored a fine ton against England in the final Test - will be opening India's innings in Adelaide. However, it remains to be seen who partners Rahul as the opener.
Murali Vijay:
The senior Tamil Nadu batsman was recalled into the side as a backup opener but Shaw's injury has opened the gates for Murali Vijay. The right-handed batsman is now considered the first choice-batting partner for KL Rahul for the opening Test.
The seasoned campaigner was backed by former India captain Sunil Gavaskar to open the innings along with Shaw. And in the absence of Shaw, he's just climbed ahead in the pecking order but he didn't get a chance to warm-up in the practice game.
However, Vijay slammed ton on the opening day of the Gabba Test, when India toured Down Under last time, and his experience of playing the county cricket recently might just come in his favour.
Rohit Sharma:
The Mumbaikar who opens the innings for India against white ball has already stated that he's ready to bat at any position in the Tests. He could be tested for the opening slot along with Lokesh Rahul.
Earlier, Sunil Gavaskar had claimed Rohit as a good option for No. 3 but that would be injustice with Cheteshwar Pujara.
Playing Rohit at No. 6 might be injustice with his batting talent as well. It will be interesting to see if captain Kohli is bold enough to ask Rohit to open the innings in Adelaide.
Parthiv Patel:
The left-handed wicketkeeper-batsman could also be utilised as an opening partner to KL Rahul if the team management isn't inclined towards playing out-of-form Murali Vijay and draft in Shikhar Dhawan.
Parthiv - who is a better-equipped wicketkeeper - might also be asked to perform the duties of the gloveman and Rishabh Pant could be played as a full-fledged batsman. The senior Gujarat cricketer has also be recalled to the side as a backup wicketkeeper but the turn of events and Pant's lacklustre show behind the stumps might bolster his chances of getting a spot in the playing eleven.
Shikhar Dhawan:
The left-handed batsman is not a part of the current Indian Test squad for the Test series but considering the fact that he's present in the country and his good form during in the limited-overs' format, Virat Kohli might be tempted to play him.
The Australian pitches and bowlers suit Dhawan's style of play but his consistently poor form in the longer-format in 2018 is a concern.
The fact that Dhawan offers a left-and-right-hand combination in the opening, might also come in his favour.
However, it remains to be seen if he's drafted in the Test squad as Shaw's replacement or not. At the moment, Dhawan is present in Australia with his family.
Mayank Agarwal:
Shaw's injury could be a blessing in disguise for the Karnataka batsman - who is being consistently overlooked by the selectors.
Agarwal is presently touring New Zealand playing for India A and gets lucky then the uncapped player might earn India call-up and even get his maiden Test cap.
Agarwal has been knocking the doors of the Indian Test team for quite some time but has been slightly unlucky on that front.
He plays an aggressive brand of cricket and has been in a rich vein of form on India A tours might just help him draw team management's attention.
