Manjrekar pitches Cheteshwar Pujara to replace Shaw as opener to make his 'life easier'

With Team India eyeing a strong comeback in the ongoing Test series against Australia, former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has proposed a unique change in the batting lineup to counter the tough Aussie bowling attack. Manjrekar has suggested that India's Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara should open the innings in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG 'to make his life easier'. 

Manjrekar's suggestion comes amid the noise of Prithvi Shaw being benched after a spree of poor performances. The cricketer-turned-commentator has argued that if Pujara opens, there is a better chance of India not losing the wicket and also being on top of the Opposition early in the game. According to reports, Shubman Gill is likely to replace Shaw in the MCG Test which will witness Ajinkya Rahane lead the Indian side after Virat Kohli's departure. 

Considered as the modern-day incarnation of Rahul Dravid, Pujara has been India's backbone in Tests and usually bats at number three. Pertinently, in the previous Border Gavaskar Trophy, Pujara had led the team to the historic victory and was also adjudged as the Man of the Series. 

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Kohli hands over duties to Rahane 

Team India skipper Virat Kohli boarded the flight home after a chairing a key meet with the Men in Blue on Tuesday morning, ANI sources reported. The Indian skipper has handed over his duties to his otherwise deputy Ajinkya Rahane, who will lead the team in the next three games starting with the Boxing Day Test which is set to commence on September 26. Kohli's meeting with the team was to boost their morale and prepare them for the rest of the series after the tragic loss at Adelaide, sources added. 

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"Kohli has left Australia today morning. He had a word with the whole unit before leaving and the idea was to boost the confidence of the boys and keep them positive. He officially handed over the mantle of captaincy to Rahane and asked the team to keep showing intent and express themselves on the pitch. With Rohit Sharma set to join the squad only after the second game, Rahane's role becomes all the more important in guiding the youngsters," ANI quoted sources. 

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The Men in Blue have been eagerly waiting for the return of Rohit Sharma which will certainly lift their spirits. After having recovered from an injury only recently, the Mumbai skipper was the last to arrive in Australia and is currently under the mandatory quarantine as per the protocol. He is slated to be available for the third and fourth Test subsequently. ANI has also confirmed that the board is constantly in touch with Sharma even as he is under quarantine in Sydney. 

Shami ruled out

With Virat Kohli departing from Australia for the birth of his first child, Team India have been dealt with another huge blow as speedster Mohammad Shami has been ruled out of the Test series after having suffered a fracture during the Adelaide Test. Team India created an unwanted record after their humiliating batting performance against Australia in the first Test at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday where neither of the batsmen even managed to reach double figures and were eventually restricted to 36/9. India have now registered their lowest score in the game's longest format. Apart from Gill, Ravindra Jadeja is also in contention to play the second Test at MCG. 

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