The Boxing Day is slated to get underway on December 26 at the iconic MCG.
According to a TOI report, skipper Rohit Sharma is likely to return as an opener after batting at No. 6 in the past two matches while KL Rahul will bat at No. 3. However, no clarity was provided regarding Shubman Gill's position in the batting order.
The report further claimed that the visitors are thinking about fielding two spinners in the penultimate Test, with Washington Sundar partnering Ravindra Jadeja. This would mean leaving seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy out of the playing XI.
Talking about Rohit, he missed the first Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia due to the birth of his second child. He returned to lead the side in the pink-ball Test at the Adelaide Oval, but failed to make a mark with the bat.
Sharma moved down the order to retain the successful opening partnership of Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal. However, the decision backfired as he managed to score just nine runs across the two innings in Adelaide.
During the rain-marred third Test at the Gabba, Rohit continued to bat at No. 6 and scored only 10 runs in the only innings that he played.
In his absence, Rahul made the opening opportunity count in Perth as he scored 26 and 77. Since then, he has been on a roll, registering scores of 37, 7, 84, and 4* in his last four innings.
When Rohit was asked about the batting order for the MCG Test during the pre-match presser, he refused to divulge anything.
"Let’s not worry about who bats where. Something that we need to figure and not something I would be discussing here. We will do what is best for the team," Rohit told reporters on Tuesday (December 24).
The Indian captain also kept cards close to his chest when asked about the possibility of playing an extra spinner. "Whatever we have to do to make the best possible XI in these conditions, we will do that -- whether that is playing an extra spinner or not," he said.
With the BGT currently tied at 1-1, both sides will be playing the much-anticipated Boxing Day Test with the goal to secure an all-important series lead needed to push a case for the WTC 2023-25 final.
(With TOI Inputs)