Mohammed Azharuddin said Sachin Tendulkar could be more effective if he bats down the order.
Speaking to reporters while campaigning for Congress candidate J.P. Singh in Aneyi (Varanasi), Azharuddin said "a change in Sachin's batting order might work for the team."
Tendulkar has opened in all four ODIs against Australia with 40 in Mohali being his highest.
Azharuddin, a former India captain and now a Congress MP from Moradabad, said selectors should treat seniors equally and dubbed the current side as a "50-50" team.
"On one day the batting clicks and the other day the bowlers are a hit. Very seldom bowlers, batsmen and fielders click together which cannot make this side a champion side."
And playing to the galleries, as it were, he accused the selectors of gross injustice by keeping out a batsman and fielder of Mohammed Kaif's calibre.