Indian cricket greats clash over Rohit Sharma's role amid surprise take on Travis Head drama

Former Test star Cheteshwar Pujara has rejected calls from fellow Indian cricket great Ravi Shastri to move skipper Rohit Sharma back to the top of the batting order for the third Test against Australia in Brisbane. The Indians failed to score more than 180 runs in either innings during the second Test in Adelaide as Travis Head's big first innings century and a masterclass from Australia's quicks helped wrap up a 10-wicket victory to level the five-match Border-Gavaskar series at 1-1.

It was a stark contrast to India's batting in the second innings of the opening Test, where the tourists declared at 6-487, before going on to seal a 295-run win. Rohit was missing from the series opener due to the birth of his second child and perhaps chose to bat at No.6 in Adelaide because he didn't want to disrupt a batting order that got the job done in Perth.

However, India's failure with the bat in Adelaide has led to plenty of soul-searching and questions around the captain's best role, with suggestions Rohit should move back to opener and push KL Rahul down the order. But Pujara - who enjoyed plenty of success against Australia's vaunted Test bowling attack - says it's more beneficial to the long-term future of Indian cricket to leave the batting order as it is.

"I think he (Rohit) should continue to bat at No.6, we're looking at India's future in KL (Rahul) and Jaiswal," Pujara told ESPN Cricinfo. "They opened in the first Test match and batted really well. Shubman (Gill) is likely to be at No.3, we are talking about the long-term and that's where I feel that Rohit should continue to bat at No.6."

Pujara conceded the pressure was on the Indian skipper after his lack of runs in the home Test series defeat to New Zealand and his disappointing start to the Border-Gavaskar series in Adelaide. But he says Rohit just needs to come out and bat positively in Brisbane, while addressing concerns around his footwork and tendency to get out to balls aimed at the stumps.

"I think the stump line has been troubling him a lot, he's been getting out LBW and bowled which is a bit of concern for him. So that's the line he'll have to work a bit more in the nets because at the moment the balls that are outside the line of off-stump he looks quite comfortable. But the moment the balls are on the middle and off-stump that's where most of his dismissals are."

But fellow India great Shastri insists the skipper's best position is at opener where he can dictate the tempo of the innings and set up his side for success. He believes KL Rahul should drop back down the order to accomodate Rohit's move back to opener and says he hopes India does not make the same mistake again when the third Test gets underway at the Gabba on Saturday.

"What I’d like to see in Brisbane is for the captain to return to the top of the order," Shastri wrote for The Courier Mail. "Opening the batting is where Rohit belongs. They might have tried having him in the middle in Adelaide but they have to immediately go back on that plan and instead push KL Rahul down the order. You need Rohit setting the tempo at the top. That’s his best position."

Shastri said India squandered a position of strength during their first innings when they went from 1-69 to lose a string of wickets. He believes the tourists should have recognised the opportunity to take a stranglehold on the Test and potentially the series, but lamented the fact they failed to seize it.

Ravi Shastri plays down Mohammed Siraj and Travis Head feud

The India great also weighed in on the bitter war of words between paceman Mohammed Siraj and Aussie centurion Head, that saw that saw both men reprimanded by the ICC for breaching the code of conduct. Head only received an official reprimand, while Siraj was fined 20 per cent of his match fee, with both players given one demerit point on their official records as well.

Siraj was found to have breached article 2.5 of the code, which relates to "using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon dismissal". Head was found to have breached article 2.13, which relates to the "abuse of a player, player support personnel, umpire or match referee".

The charges were comparatively light because it was the first offence for both players in a 24-month period, with India reportedly filthy that Siraj's punishment was worse than Head's. But Shastri says such run-ins between Indian and Australian players are nothing new and in fact often expected in Test matches between the cricketing rivals.

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"There have been so many controversial moments that have emerged from heated exchanges in the middle, only for things to get settled. I’m sure Siraj and Head are mature individuals who will deal with it and the dust would have settled already," Shastri said. "If anything, I wouldn’t have expected anything else from a fast bowler after he’d been hit for a six. Siraj was letting off some steam. That’s the fast bowler’s temperament. You want it to be like that."