With regular India opener Rohit Sharma back, the management is set to have sleepless nights over the selection of KL Rahul for the Adelaide Test. The question is – Rahul has got runs at Perth and he along with Jaiswal look settled at the top – so, what happens to Rohit? Will Rohit opt to bat in the middle-order, something he has done early in his red-ball international career? Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar reckons Rahul and Jaiswal should be opening at Adelaide as well. 

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‘Rohit Sharma will himself have to decide’

“So you’ve got KL Raul in form. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul are likely to put up the best opening partnership. Rohit Sharma could suggest, with the kind of form that he has, that you know, ‘I don’t need to open’,” Sanjay Manjrekar said on ESPNcricinfo.

“If you can drop Ashwin and Jadeja and pick a Washington Sundar on current reality, that is an option. It will be tough to do, and Rohit Sharma will himself have to decide because there’s also that history of Rohit Sharma getting two hundreds in his first two Test matches batting at number six,” he added.

After failing to make amends in the first essay, getting dismissed without registering a score – Jaiswal bounced back and smashed a century in the second innings at the Optus stadium in Perth on Sunday. Jaiswal hit a memorable 161 off 297 balls. His innings was laced with 15 boundaries and three sixes. 

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At the time of filing the copy, India were well-placed at 313 for three. Following Jaiswal’s departure, Rishabh Pant has come in and joined Kohli. India lead by 360 already.