Sanjay Manjrekar wants Rahane to 'step up and bat at number four' in Virat's absence

Cricketer-turned-commentator/analyst Sanjay Manjrekar has said that Ajinkya Rahane will need to step up to the number four position in the absence of skipper Virat Kohli during the upcoming Test series against Australia.  

Regular skipper Kohli would be heading back to India after the first Test match to be with his wife Anushka Sharma as they are expecting their first child in January. He has been granted paternity leave by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). 

'Ajinkya Rahane should step up'

"Mayank Agarwal walks in as opener in Tests, let's assume that Rohit is not playing the first two Tests, I would go for Prithvi Shaw as the second opener. Let's see how it goes and if Shaw shows the poor form as he did in the IPL, then Shubman Gill can be looked at. In Virat's absence, Ajinkya Rahane should step up and bat at number four. Hanuma Vihari can bat at number five, if Shubman is tried in the middle order, then he should bat at number six," Manjrekar told ANI.

"Rahane has been averaging more than 50 in his last nine Tests, we will have to wait and see whether Rahane steps up, in fact, it's a question of the entire batting line-up stepping up, we have only seen them in white-ball cricket, Kohli not being thereafter the first Test is a massive setback. In foreign conditions, Kohli is half the Indian batting, Pujara stepped up last time in Australia, Kohli has been India's most dependable player in foreign conditions, so his absence will be a huge setback. This particular series against Australia is a test of the depth of India's cricket talent in Tests," he added.

'Jinx', who has been Team India's Test specialist in the last couple of years is a middle-order batsman who usually bats at number five. Kohli's deputy in red-ball cricket will be expected to lead the team from the front in the next three Test matches at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (December 26-30), Sydney Cricket Ground (January 7-11) and, the 'Gabba' in Brisbane (January 15-19) respectively.

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Can Team India do the unthinkable?

India have their task cut out once regular skipper Kohli leaves the Australian tour midway as they will have to play out of their skins in order to retain the iconic Border-Gavaskar Trophy that they had won a couple of years back on Australian soil by beating a depleted Australian side. Their star players Steve Smith and David Warner were handed a 12-month suspension from international cricket for their involvement in the infamous ball-tampering scandal in South Africa in March 2018. 

The odds are even this time as the Aussies will be fielding a full-strength squad that consists of Warner, Smith, Marnus Labuchagne, etc. The Tim-Paine led Australians are currently the top-ranked Test side and are also at the summit of the ICC World Test Championship.

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(Image Courtesy: AP)