Chandigarh, December 9, 2024 (Punjab Khabarnama Bureau)- Former India captain and batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has suggested that Rohit Sharma should return to his usual opening position in the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test. In the second Test against Australia, Rohit batted at No. 5 for the first time since 2019, where he struggled with scores of three and six. This shift in position coincided with India’s heavy defeat in the pink-ball Test, losing by 10 wickets.
India stuck with KL Rahul as Yashasvi Jaiswal’s opening partner due to the former’s performance in the first Test. But Rahul himself managed scores of 37 and seven. “He should return to his regular spot. We should remember why Rahul had opened. He did that because Rohit Sharma was not available for the first Test,” said Gavaskar on Sports Tak.
‘If Rohit scores quickly, he can get a big century’
Gavaskar said that he could understand why India stuck with Rahul in the opening slot. Rahul scored 26 in 74 balls in the first innings of the first Test in Perth when most other batters struggle to stay in the middle. In the second innings, he scored 77 in 176 balls in a 201-run opening stand with Jaiswal.
“Now I can understand why they kept him as an opener in the second Test, he had a 200-plus partnership with Jaiswal. But now that he couldn’t score this Test, I feel Rahul should go back to No. 5 or No.6 and Rohit Sharma should open. If Rohit scores quickly in the beginning, then he can score a big century also later,” said Gavaskar.
Rohit said that India were probably 30-40 runs short with the bat in the first innings of the pink-ball Test in Adelaide. “A disappointing week for us, we didn’t play well, and Australia played better cricket than us and won the Test match. We failed to grab our opportunities. We didn’t bat well enough, probably 30-40 runs short with the bat in the first innings. There were opportunities when Australia were batting and we failed to take those chances. When you miss those chances, it’s never easy,” Rohit said in the post-match press conference.
Summary: Sunil Gavaskar has advised Rohit Sharma to return as an opener for the 3rd Test against Australia, emphasizing the need for better footwork and movement to tackle the pace attack effectively.