India has to probably go ahead with KL Rahul and Murali Vijay as the opening combination in Perth, as Hindustan Times reported that Prithvi Shaw is not match-fit now and highly unlikely to play in the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to be played from December 14 against Australia.

Indian Cricket team management would be hoping to pick one between Rahul and Vijay to open with Shaw in Perth, but the young Mumbai batsman is yet to be a 100 percent fit following the ankle injury that he picked up during the warm-up game against Cricket Australia XI in Sydney.  

Shaw’s fitness has once again given the lifeline to Murali and Rahul to prove their worth and shine with the bat despite not setting the stage on fire in Adelaide, as the young batting star is clearly looking to get fit in time for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne on December 26.

Meanwhile, the reporters claimed that Shaw is undergoing treatment, and it might take some more time before the young opener is match fit, while it is highly unlikely that the team management will want to draft the 19-year-old into the playing XI half-fit in Perth.

Evidently, Rahul and Vijay both failed to live up to the expectations in Adelaide, as the duo neither put up a great partnership for India and nor were good with the willow individually, the openers put on three for the opening wicket in the first innings and 63 in the second innings of the first Test.

However, Rahul and Vijay would be certainly looking to make it count on a faster track in Perth, where Australia and India both clashing out in the second Test of the four-match series.

(With Hindustan Times Inputs)