For all the success, which the Indian team has been having in the recent past in Test cricket, the struggles are at the top of the order, especially in the opening slot. While Mayank Agarwal has been fairly consistent ever since his debut, the same cannot be said about KL Rahul, who finds starts, but has not been able to convert them into anything substantial.
After his string of low scores in the recently-concluded Test series in West Indies, there have been whispers about his spot in the team and now former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly believes that Rohit Sharma should be itching to grab on to the role as Team India opener.
"I had suggested earlier about trying Rohit Sharma as an opener in Test cricket and I still believe that he needs to be given an opportunity because he is too good a player to be left out in the cold," Sourav Ganguly wrote in his column for The Times of India.
Rahane and Vihari have been good in the middle order
The former skipper also said that since both Hanuma Vihari and Ajinkya Rahane have shored up the options in the middle order, the only available spot for Rohit Sharma is at the top of the order and now that KL Rahul was struggling, the management could well be tempted to use the limited-overs opener in that role.
"After a fantastic World Cup, I believe he will be itching to grab the opportunity to open in Tests. With Ajinkya Rahane and Hanuma Vihari settling in nicely, there is not much left to play around in the middle order," he further added.
The current CAB president believes that Mayank has looked good in the limited opportunities he has got, but the same cannot be said about KL Rahul, who has only flattered to deceive.
"The opening still remains an area to work on. Mayank Agarwal looks good but will need a few more opportunities. His partner KL Rahul, though, has flattered to deceive and that creates an opening at the top," Sourav Ganguly said.
India started their World Test Championship with a bang and currently lead the points table with 120 points. Their next big challenge will be the home series against South Africa and this is where the management might look to make few changes. However, Virat Kohli could be tempted to give KL Rahul another go, but as Ganguly said, with Rohit Sharma waiting in the wings, Rahul could well be skating on extremely thin ice.
