India vs Australia: Former India cricketer backs Mayank Agarwal to debut in Boxing Day Test

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes that Mayank Agarwal should make his debut in the Boxing Day Test against Australia in Melbourne, but he also warned against expecting too much from the uncapped opener.

“I will personally still go (open) with Mayank Agarwal and Murali Vijay,” Manjrekar told IndiaTV.

“Even if you play Mayank Agarwal, we should not have high expectations because it is extremely tough for an Indian batsman to straight away go into a Test match on an Australian pitch, especially at the top of the order, where the Kookaburra ball does a lot,” he added.

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Hardik Pandya and right-handed batsman Mayank Agarwal will be joining the side for the remainder of the Test series against Australia. The BCCI named Mayank Agarwal as the replacement for the injured opening batsman Prithvi Shaw, who had suffered a left ankle injury while attempting a catch in the practice game.

“These are Australian conditions. Hanuma Vihari, when you see him bat, you get an impression that this is a guy, who has a good technique. His scoring shots are straight in front of the wicket and he seems calm temperamentally,” Manjrekar said.

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“He is clearly a batsman who has the game to bat at (number) one, two and three. So the sense is there having Vihari bat at the top of the order. So if India does not want to take that risk and put undue pressure on Agarwal, then Vihari is an option (to open the innings),” he added.

(With agency inputs)