Ravi Shastri solves the Indian opening puzzle

Indian coach Ravi Shastri has finally put an end to the speculations surrounding the Indian opening combination by disclosing his first choice openers.

Shastri believes that Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay are the first choice openers whereas KL Rahul has been picked in the side as the third opener. However, he believes that one should not be surprised if the team management thinks of experimenting with the batting personnel.

“He has been picked as the third opener. But our batting order will always be flexible. The third opener can play anywhere in the top four. We are a very, very flexible outfit. Be prepared for that. We will surprise you guys at times,” Ravi Shastri said.

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He hinted towards the fact that Rahul could also be slotted in the middle order if either of Pujara or Rahane don’t have a good outing. At the same time, the Indian coach also defended Cheteshwar Pujara and understood his bad run of form.

“He’s an extremely experienced player. I feel he is one innings away [from a big score]. He needs to spend time at the crease. If he gets one 60-70 under his belt, he will be a different player altogether. My job is to make sure he is thinking in that fashion,” Shastri added.

Shastri maintained that Pujara is a class batsman and will come good ultimately. He still considered Pujara to be the backbone of the Indian batting line up and believes that he is just one good knock away from bouncing back to form.