Australia vs India 2018-19: Has Prithvi Shaw's injury paved the way for Murali Vijay's comeback?

Prithvi Shaw has been ruled out of the first Test at Adelaide against Australia, which is just a week away. And in the process, the two-Test-old young lad may have indirectly paved the way for Murali Vijay to get back into the playing XI.

The injury occurred when Shaw twisted his ankle while taking a catch at mid-wicket to dismiss Max Bryant on Day 3 of the tour game against Cricket Australia XI at SCG.

Why Murali Vijay?

Murali Vijay likely to be back to the playing XI

Murali Vijay is likely to open the Indian batting line-up alongside KL Rahul in the first Test. Most would agree that it ought to be Vijay ahead of Rohit Sharma or Parthiv Patel considering Vijay's previous record against Australia in Australia.

During the Down Under tour in 2014-2015, Vijay averaged around 60 while scoring 482 runs, which comprised a century and four 50s.

Apart from the two failures in England, Vijay along with Cheteshwar Pujara have been an integral part of the Indian Test team's batting line-up. Moreover, four out of Vijay's 12 Test hundreds have come against Australia, which shows that he knows how to play the Oz bowlers.

Both Parthiv and Rohit are unproven

Parthiv Patel and KL Rahul

Parthiv Patel and Rohit Sharma could be the other choices for replacing Shaw, but neither of them has a strong claim.

One of India's most prolific opening batsmen ever in the limited overs format, Rohit has never opened in Tests. It would be too risky to have an out-of-form Rahul and first-time Test opener Rohit to face the fierce Australian attack at the top. That is definitely not Kohli's style of starting an away tour, or any series for that matter.

Parthiv, who has been called back into the Test squad, is more of a backup for wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant. As a successful opening batsman himself, Parthiv would obviously be on the radar for the opening slot. But it is too much to ask a wicketkeeper to open the batting as well in Tests.

That said, it is worth noting that Parthiv has done that incredible task in the past. So there is a possibility of seeing him play for the India Test team once again in Australia after a gap of 15 years.

India hasn't named any replacement yet for Shaw, perhaps waiting for his recovery; the young batsman is set to undergo an extensive rehabilitation program to come back as soon as possible. But if they do go for any replacement it has to be Karnataka's Mayank Agarwal, or the recently axed Shikhar Dhawan.

Kohli should look at this ligament injury of Shaw as a blessing in disguise. Though the 19-year-old has already impressed many, considering the fact that Rahul at the other end is totally out of touch, it might be ideal to have an experienced campaigner like Vijay alongside him.