Melbourne
Hanuma Vihari’s role as an opener is a stop-gap one and he will be given enough opportunities in his preferred middle-order slot should he fail at the top, says chairman of selectors MSK Prasad. When asked if the new role is unfair on Vihari, who doesn’t open regularly in domestic first class cricket, Prasad said: “He would be given a fair chance in the middle order should he fail to make an impression as an opener in the next two Tests.”

Prasad feels that Vihari has the game to face the new Kookaburra brand ball. “It’s fine. Technically, we feel that Vihari is well-equipped. There were times where Cheteshwar Pujara also opened when the team required,” Prasad said. “The team demands it and definitely I hope he will come out successful. Definitely it is not a long-term solution, I can tell you that.”

While Mayank Agarwal has been rewarded for his consistent show at the India A level, Prasad admitted that one needs to ponder on the future of KL Rahul and Murali Vijay after their consistent failures over the past one year.

“We have called in Mayank Agarwal and he is in good form after that India A series, so naturally he gets into the side. Going by current form, we all know that the current openers are not really living up to the expectation,” Prasad continued.