Aus vs Ind – Adelaide Test – Cheteshwar Pujara playing XI after Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill are back

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“I think for some reason, if we can continue with the same batting order, like KL and Yashasvi to open, Rohit could come in at three and Shubman could come in at five,” Pujara said in a chat with ESPNcricinfo. “If Rohit wants to open, KL should bat at number three. Nothing after that. I think he has to bat at the top of the order because it suits his game very well. I hope we don’t mess with that.”

That may well be the case, with Devdutt Padikkal, who scored 0 off 23 balls and 25 off 71 balls in Perth, leading the way. But with Rohit, Jaiswal and Rahul, followed by Virat Kohli In fourth place, where does Gill fit in, if, in fact, he is fit to play?

“Ideally, number 5. Because it allows him to come in at once, even if we lose two wickets early, he is someone who can negotiate the new ball,” Pujara said. “But if he comes in after, say, 25 or 30 overs, he can play his shots. He can play his natural game. And in case we lose the first three wickets early, Gill comes in and saves Rishabh Pants for the old ball. [Pant] you don’t need to face the new ball. I wouldn’t want him to come in to bat when the ball is hard and new.”

That would mean Pant, who batted at No. 5 in Perth, dropping one place, and Dhruv Jurel, who was just as impressive to India against Australia A in Melbourne just before the first Test, leaving after scores of 11 and 1 at No. 6.

Then come the all-rounders, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundarin any order because Pujara doesn’t want any changes to the bowling line-up in Adelaide. No, R Ashwin. No, Ravindra Jadeja. And no Prasidh Krishna or Akash Deep in place of Harshit Rana.

“There is no doubt about it,” Pujara said when asked. “This bowling attack gave us success. [Jasprit] Bumrah looked really good. [Mohammed] Siraj was very good. And then it was supported by Harshit. He played very well, you have to accept that. He was playing his first game [for India]Even so, he ended up throwing the ball up.

“The reason he was picked for this team is because he can hit. It will be important in the second Test match that if we lose a few wickets early, if the lower-middle order needs to contribute, Washington can play that role.”

Cheteshwar Pujara wants Washington Sundar to continue as the sole spinner

“In Australia it’s very easy to get carried away and sometimes when you look at the pace of the pitch, it offers a little bit of extra bounce… But he was still looking to hit the right spot, good length, try to hit it at the top, and he has this ability.

“So, I think we should continue with the same bowling attack. And Nitish too, he had some bowling. I thought those four seamers are suitable options and along with that, Washington Sundar.”

This last name can be a little controversial. Washington, Pujara accepted, was picked more for his batting than his bowling, and there are two battle-hardened veterans, Ashwin and Jadeja, sitting back, awaiting their turn. But Pujara would still go with Washington.

“He [Washington] he didn’t look very good when he started bowling, but eventually he got some wickets, varied his pace, so Washy should be our spinner,” Pujara said. “Because he can bat well. The reason he was picked for this team is because he can hit. It will be important in the second Test match that if we lose a few wickets early, if the lower-middle order needs to contribute, Washington can play that role.

The second Test, in Adelaide, begins after a short break, on December 6th. Before that, India play a two-day pink-ball friendly against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra.

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