'Let Rahul, Jaiswal Open In 2nd Test'

'If Rohit wants to open, KL should bat at No. 3. Nothing later than that.'

Cheteshwar Pujara reckons K L Rahul should continue to open the batting alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal in the second Test against Australia despite skipper Rohit Sharma's arrival in Australia.

Rohit's absence in the series opener in Perth allowed Rahul to bat at the top of the order.

Pujara, the rock of Indian batting on the previous two tours of Australia, feels the opening combination should not be tinkered with after a 295 run win in the series opener.

Jaiswal scored a memorable hundred while Rahul too was impressive, collecting 26 and 77 in the two innings in Perth.

'If we can carry on 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 No. 3. Nothing later than that. He has to bat top of the order, because it suits his game really well. I hope we don't tinker around with that.'

Shubman Gill, who missed the first Test due to a thumb injury, is also expected to feature in the playing eleven in the day-night Test beginning December 6.

'Ideally No. 5 (for Gill). Because it allows him to come in at a time, even if we lose two wickets early, he is someone who can negotiate the new ball,' Pujara said.

'But if he walks 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 walks in and saves Rishabh Pant for the old ball.

'(Pant) doesn't have to face the new ball. I wouldn't want him to walk in to bat when the ball is hard and new,' Pujara added.

Gill has opened the batting in Australia but has now moved down to number three.

On the bowling front, Pujara doesn't want to see a change in India's bowling attack for the second Test.

The pace trio featuring Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana ran rampant on Perth's Test strip.

With Adelaide offering a different sort of challenge, India could change the bowling.

After picking up a three wicket haul in the first innings, Rana's struggle in his second turn was quite evident. He struggled to create an opening once the ball turned older.

But Pujara expects Rana to stay on.

'In Australia, it's very easy to get carried away, and sometimes when you look at the pace of the pitch, it offers a bit more extra bounce... But he was still looking to hit the right spot, good length, try and hit the top of off, and he has that ability,' Pujara added.

'So I think we should carry on with the same bowling attack. And Nitish also had a bit of a bowl. I felt that those four seamers are proper options, and along with that, Washington Sundar,' he added.

Talking of Washington, Pujara said: 'He [Washington] didn't look really good when he started his bowling, but eventually he got a couple of wickets, he varied his pace, so Washy should be our spinner. Because he can bat well.'

'The reason he was chosen in this squad is because he can bat. It will be important in the second Test match that, in case we lose a few wickets early if the lower middle order needs to contribute, Washington can do that role.'

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