Mayank and Vihari Set To Open

In their quest to make a mark in the ongoing series against Australia, India put faith on Mayank Agarwal and Hanuma Vihari to open on the occasion of the Boxing Day Test. India removed the opening pair of Murali Vijay and KL Rahul after a consecutive run of poor form. Australia, on the other hand, would like to extend their current form after inflicting a heavy defeat on the visitors in the 2^nd Test match at Perth. The series is now tied at 1-1 with two more matches to go. Meanwhile, Rahane feels that India should attack the Aussie bowlers and not let them dominate the momentum of the innings. Although Hardik Pandya was available for the match, India decided to go for an extra batsman Rohit Sharma, who was declared fit for the match. While Rahul had scored only 48 runs in 4 innings, Vijay scored 49, so a decision on their future was inevitable. India would have to rely on the strength of Kohli, Pujara, Rohit and Rahane in case the openers fail to convert. The MCG pitch promise a good carry for the seamers and turn for the spinners.