Shikhar Dhawan was spotted at the Indian team hotel in Melbourne, reportedly with his kitbag.
It must be noted Dhawan stays in Melbourne with his family but his appearance at the hotel has fuelled speculation of his re-entry into the Indian test squad, stated a report in the Mumbai Mirror.
With KL Rahul and Murali Vijay struggling and Prithvi Shaw out injured, Dhawan could be in line for a shock return to the opening spot. Vijay is just marginally ahead of Rahul, with the Tamil Nadu scoring 49 runs to his partner’s 48.
Rahul only has one century in his 12 overseas Test appearances, a dead rubber in England. Dhawan’s last Test appearance was against England at the Oval, where he had scores of three and one in the first and second innings respectively.
Captain Virat Kohli spoke about backing his openers after the Perth Test, “You just have to keep backing them and keep telling them that they belong and are good enough to perform. I am sure these guys have figured what has gone wrong in this game, and they are very keen to correct it themselves.”
Opener Mayank Agarwal has been called up as a last-minute replacement for the injured Shaw. In scintillating domestic form, Agarwal will hope to capitalise on any opportunity that comes his way.
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