Courtesy: BCCI
Indian captain Rohit Sharma, who missed the first Test of the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series due to personal reasons, has arrived in Australia to play in the remaining matches. After his deputy Jasprit Bumrah led India to a famous win by 295 runs at the Optus Stadium in Perth, there have been conversations around his batting position since his replacement KL Rahul did exceptionally well as an opening batter.
Notably, over the last few months, Rohit Sharma has struggled massively at the top of the order for India in Tests, scoring just 133 runs in 10 innings at an average of 13.30 with one fifty. Meanwhile, KL Rahul, who replaced him in the first Test of the BGT series against Australia, got 26 (74) and 77 (176) in tough batting conditions in front of a potent bowling attack, making them work quite hard for his wicket.
I feel Rohit should come in at No. 6, because Rishabh Pant, too, has shaped up very well at 5: Devang Gandhi
After putting together a match-defining opening stand of 201 runs alongside Yashasvai Jaiswal in the second innings of the first Test, KL Rahul has become a first choice for many fans and experts to bat at the top of the order even with the arrival of Rohit Sharma. Devang Gandhi, the former Indian selector, has gone a step further by stating that the Indian captain should bat further down the order at No. 6 in the remaining four Test matches of the BGT series.
He was quoted as saying, as per the Times of India, “In fact, I feel Rohit should come in at No. 6, because Rishabh Pant, too, has shaped up very well at 5…The left-right combo, too, can be maintained that way. It becomes difficult if a middle-order batter tries to become an opener in the latter stages of his career. But it will not be difficult for an opener to go in the middle-order, especially for Rohit, who started as a No. 6 batter for India.”
Rohit Sharma was dismissed quite cheaply in the recently concluded India versus PM’s XI clash, where he batted at No. 4, signalling a potential shift in his batting position in the upcoming second Test of the BGT series, a day-night pink ball affair at the Adelaide Oval. Moreover, during the last Test tour down under for India nearly four years ago, Rohit Sharma played two of the four matches, where he batted at No. 6 slot in the order.
