MS Dhoni hints at possible changes for Boxing Day Test against Australia

Suresh Raina likely to make a Test comeback

Indian captain MS Dhoni has hinted at the possible inclusion of middle-order batsman Suresh Raina in the team for the third Test match against Australia, starting on Friday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). If that is the case, Rohit Sharma, who hasn’t made the most of his opportunities averaging only 21.69 in 7 overseas Tests, looks increasingly likely to make way.

Dhoni, speaking ahead of the Boxing Day Test, said: "He (Suresh Raina) has been working hard on his cricket and we will reflect once he gets a game. We need a player like him, reason being apart from being a good batsman he is also a good bowler, so if there is some turn he can bowl a bit.”

“He is someone who can bowl quite consistently. He can give me those 10-15 overs if it is really needed. So that's one area where we have been lacking in this set-up. There are not many batsmen who actually bowl. So we are trying to get batsmen to bowl so we can give a bit of rest needed for fast bowlers."

Bhuvneshwar could miss out, KL Rahul in line for debut

While there have been reports of Bhuvneshwar Kumar making the Playing XI, Dhoni said that the team management is looking to get him bowl more overs in the nets before including him the team. He said: "He [Bhuvneshwar] has started bowling, he bowled during nets in the last Test also, but we want to load him with a bit more with bowling.”

The 33-year-old added: "But as far as his fitness is concerned he is fit and also available for selection. But Test-match fitness is slightly different, you may be fit but you have to see five days of load, how many overs you can bowl, what the situation maybe. You actually prepare for the worst when it comes to fitness in Test cricket."

Opening batsman Murali Vijay, the visitors’ leading run-getter in the series so far, wasn’t seen practicing much during the training sessions. While India haven’t shed light on the issue, it is understood that he could be replaced by KL Rahul. The 22-year-old right-hander, who had extended one-on-one discussions with coach Duncan Fletcher and team director Ravi Shastri, was the first to come out to bat and last to leave, as well.