Rohit Sharma Batting Position: Former Indian cricketers Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar want captain Rohit Sharma to open the innings again so that he can be aggressive and effective.
Rohit, who did not play in the first Test, came in at number six in the second pink-ball Test as Lokesh Rahul performed well at the top of the order in the first match of the series in his absence. However, the Indian captain looked ‘very soft’ and played innings of three and six runs during India’s 10-wicket defeat here.
“That’s why I want to see him at the top,” Shastri told ‘Star Sports’. This is where he can become aggressive. Just looking at his body language, it seemed that he was a little more calm.” The former Indian coach said, ”The fact is that he did not score runs. I don’t think he was very active on the field. I just wanted to see him more engaged and more excited about the game.”
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, Rohit said that he did not want to tamper with the combination that had led the team to success in the first match of the series. India won the first test in Perth by 295 runs. He also batted in the middle order in the practice match in Canberra. However, Rohit admitted that it was not an easy decision for him personally.
Rohit, who batted in the middle order for the first time since 2018, said, “Personally it was not easy. But for the team, yes, it means a lot.” Rahul shared a 201-run partnership with fellow opener and centurion Yashasvi Jaiswal in the second innings of the first Test. He scored 26 and 77 in the Test. However, he failed to replicate his form in the second match.
Former Indian captain Gavaskar asked Rohit to replace him as the opening batsman after Rahul failed to take advantage of the opportunity. Gavaskar said, “He should return to his regular place. We should remember why Rahul opened the innings. He did this because Rohit Sharma was not available for the first Test.
He said, “I can understand why he was kept as an opener in the second Test, he had a partnership of more than 200 runs with Jaiswal. But now that he could not score runs in this Test, I think Rahul should go back to number five or number six and Rohit Sharma should open the innings. If Rohit scores fast runs in the beginning, he can also score a big century later on.
