It’s worth mentioning that Rohit Sharma started his Test career as a middle-order batter before being shuffled to open the innings.
Rohit Sharma didn’t play the first Test against Australia in Perth for personal reasons but has joined the Indian team and will feature in the next encounter. It will be a Day-Night Test. Meanwhile, India played a warm-up contest against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra.
Interestingly, India’s batting order was a talking point as Rohit Sharma, the Indian captain, didn’t come to open the innings, and the management persisted with the same opening pair – Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul – for the game.
The same pair reaped ample success in the Perth Test and notched up big scores, with Jaiswal playing a 150+ run knock. That indicates the team might continue to open with Rahul and Jaiswal, with Rohit Sharma slotting himself in the middle order.
Ideally, he should bat at No.5 to maintain continuity at the top, with Rishabh Pant grabbing the No.6 spot. That will mean Dhruv Jurel will miss out, which will be a bit tough decision since he had only one game to prove himself in alien conditions and deserves more chances before taking a call.
It’s worth mentioning that Rohit Sharma started his Test career as a middle-order batter before being shuffled to open the innings. He started his Test career in 2013 and played in the middle order for around six years, where his numbers remained below par, especially away from home.
While batting at No.5 or below, Rohit has 1474 runs at an average of 43.35 in 41 Test innings, including nine fifties and three centuries. That average is significantly high because of his home average of 96.12 in the middle order, but Rohit has failed to excel in other conditions in the middle order.
However, there’s still merit in slotting him in the middle order since he has previous experience playing in the league. Rohit has 187 runs at an average of 26.71 in eight outings, including one fifty, in the middle order on Australian soil.
It will be a pragmatic move if Rohit bats in the middle order since the opening combination looks settled. He can always shuffle back to opening if this new pair doesn’t get success in the coming games, and KL Rahul will come in the middle order.
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