Pujara or Vihari should open for India in rescheduled Test: Ajit Agarkar

Former all-rounder Ajit Agarkar reckons that Cheteshwar Pujara or Hanuma Vihari should open the innings for India in the rescheduled fifth Test match against England at Edgbaston that gets underway on Friday, July 1. Agarkar’s remarks have come after skipper Rohit Sharma tested COVID-19 positive which might force him to miss the contest.

While Pujara and Vihari who bat at number three and six are makeshift openers, India also have the likes of KS Bharat and Mayank Agarwal handy for the opening slot. In the original squad, only Rohit and Shubman Gill were named openers after vice-captain KL Rahul was excluded due to a groin injury which is expected to keep him out of action for a while.

It’s better to go with a little bit more experience: Ajit Agarkar

“I know KS Bharat got some runs in the warm-up game. The team management will probably have a look at how prepared Mayank Agarwal is after joining the team. I don’t know if he has enough time to prepare for this one-off Test. With Rohit in isolation, I believe experience will help in opening, whether it is Vihari or Pujara, who has been around for a long time,” said Agarkar in a virtual interaction organized by Sony Sports.

“Vihari has already opened for India a couple of times. So, that would be my pick, one of those two if Mayank doesn’t look quite ready as he didn’t have enough time in the nets and is clearly not going to get any (practice) games now. In my opinion, it’s better to go with a little bit more experience because it is a one-off Test,” he added.

Meanwhile, in Rohit Sharma’s absence, it remains to be seen who will be leading the Indian side. As far as Cheteshwar Pujara and Bharat’s form is concerned, it seems like both have got accustomed to the English conditions to a certain extent. Pujara scored a mountain of runs in the County Championship which includes four centuries, and a double century at an outstanding average of  120. However, he had an off day in the practice game where he failed to trouble the scorers.

Bharat on the other hand showed great character on a wicket where other Indian batters failed to apply themselves properly against Leicester in the warm-up fixture. He scored an unbeaten 70 and 43 in the two innings of the fixture.