Team India is ready to take on Australia in the Pink Ball Test at Adelaide. But former national selector Devang Gandhi has come up with a stunning batting order change. While captain Rohit Sharma is returning to the XI after missing the first Test due to personal commitments, Gandhi feels that the senior batter should come in at No. 6 instead of opening.
It has come at a time when India’s opening partnership had been successful with KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, putting on 201 runs in Perth. Gandhi does not think they need to break the opening pair as he believes Hitman can play in a middle-order role because of his versatility.
Rohit Sharma Should Bat at 6: Devang Gandhi
“Actually, I feel Rohit should come in at No. 6 because Rishabh Pant has shaped up very well at No. 5. This also keeps the left-right combination intact,” Gandhi told Times of India. He said this would bring balance and stability to the lineup.
Gandhi pointed out that an opener transitioning to the middle-order is far less challenging than the reverse. “It becomes difficult for a middle-order batter to adjust as an opener later in their career. But for someone like Rohit, who started at No. 6, this should be a natural shift,” he added.
Rohit’s Earlier Outings at 6
Rohit last batted at No. 6 during India’s 2018/19 tour of Australia. Despite modest returns in that series, Gandhi believes Rohit’s ability to play spin and pace with equal finesse could make him a valuable asset in the middle.
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The captain’s recent form, however, has sparked concerns. In the warm-up game against the Australian Prime Minister’s XI, Rohit looked tentative and fell cheaply for 1, continuing a streak of underwhelming performances that date back to recent series against Bangladesh and New Zealand.
India has a dilemma before the pink-ball Test. To retain the winning combination of Rahul and Jaiswal at the opening or to revert back to Rohit at the top?
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