The Indian Test team is gearing up for yet another challenging tour Down Under as they aim for a hat-trick of Test series wins in Australia later this year.
With the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy kicking off on November 22 in Perth, the focus is on how India will cope in the absence of Cheteshwar Pujara's solid batting at Number 3.
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The experienced right-hander, who has been out of favor in the Test team recently, was the backbone of India’s previous two series wins in Australia, scoring 521 runs in the 2018-19 series and 271 runs in 2020-21.
He absorbed more deliveries than any other player across both teams in those series, frustrating the likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Pat Cummins with his sheer resilience at the crease.
Veteran Indian batter Hanuma Vihari believes that Pujara’s absence will be a huge void to fill for the Indian side.
Who can replace Cheteshwar Pujara as India’s batting 'backbone'?
Vihari highlighted the dilemma the team management faces in Pujara’s absence. During a recent interaction, he emphasized how crucial Pujara’s role was, describing him as the anchor that steadied the innings while absorbing pressure of the challenging new ball.
"Pujara will a big miss. he was the backbone of the batting line-up in the last two series for Team India. He took blows, he batted time, he stayed there for a long time, he saw the new ball, he got runs. He made the job easier for the other batters coming in," Vihari told PTI.
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Vihari suggested that Virat Kohli might be the only player in the current top six capable of fulfilling that role, given his experience and ability to dig in against tough conditions.
"So that kind of role… who will play is a question mark for me. Currently I would say we have an attacking mode of a batting line up (the top six). All like to play their shots. Virat is the only one I feel in that batting line up who can be like a glue to the other batters,"
"He can stay on and bat the most number of overs and you know batting in Australia is all about time. If you see off the new ball, it gets a little easier with the older Kookaburra ball,” added Vihari
Can KL Rahul step up at No. 6 for India Test team?
Vihari pointed out that KL Rahul could be another key figure in the middle order during this tour.
Rahul, who has previously shown his ability to bat long in SENA countries (which are South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) and he might be backed at number six to provide some stability.
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"KL Rahul’s participation will be crucial in this situation as well because he can bat for a long time and has experience playing in SENA countries. He has performed admirably in SENA nations. I believe they are also considering KL Rahul at position six."
He noted that the Indian team management seems to be grooming Rahul for this role in the ongoing series against Bangladesh.
"They are considering a wider picture by starting Rahul ahead of Sarfaraz in the present series (against Bangladesh). When we tour Australia, they want to get experience in number six," he added
"Because in Australia playing at 6 you need to have good technique whether it’s facing the second new ball or batting after an early collapse," he concluded.
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