Leg and Off: Should Rohit Sharma drop down the order in 2nd BGT 2024-25 Test?
Having missed the first Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Perth due to the birth of his second child, Rohit Sharma joined the team a few days back and has begun preparations for the second Test. The Indian skipper is set to feature in the two-day warm-up match at the Manuka Oval in Canberra ahead of the Adelaide Test, which starts on December 6.
In Rohit's absence from the Perth Test (and Shubman Gill's unavailability due to injury), KL Rahul opened the innings with Yashasvi Jaiswal and did a commendable job. The 32-year-old, who had been dropped for the previous two Tests against New Zealand at home, played two defiant knocks, scoring 26 and 77. With better luck, he could have notched up a big score in the first innings.
In the wake of Rahul's excellent batting effort in Perth, a debate has emerged over Rohit's batting position for the Adelaide Test. While some critics and fans reckon he should move down the order and allow Rahul to continue opening, others are of the view that the Indian captain should bat at the top, while Rahul should shift down the batting order for the second BGT 2024-25 Test.
Logical move to back Rahul as opener over Rohit
The Indian team has often stated that they are flexible when it comes to picking the playing XI and deciding the batting order. It was the same mindset that saw Washington Sundar being picked ahead of veterans Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja for the Perth Test. They have another opportunity to exercise their versatile philosophy when deciding the batting order for the Adelaide Test.
Rahul showed excellent technique to deal with the movement and bounce in Perth. And he was rewarded for his efforts, although it must be said that his first-innings dismissal was contentious. There have been many instances when the talented batter has fallen exasperatingly short of expectations. But in the first Test against Australia, he was right on the mark.
Given that Rahul spent a lot of time at the crease in Perth, while Rohit will be playing in his first Test of the series in Adelaide, it will make sense for the former to keep batting at the top of the order. Add to it the fact that the second Test will be a pink-ball affair, there is all the more reason for Rahul to continue as an opener for the tricky challenge ahead of the Indian captain.
If we talk about technique, it would be fair to say that Rahul is the better-equipped of the two players to tackle the pink ball at the start of the innings. The fact that he has runs and time under his belt will also give him that much confidence heading into the Adelaide clash. As for Rohit, he will feature in the warm-up game in Canberra, but will that be enough for him to deal with the opening challenge?
Counterview: Will Rohit Sharma be comfortable batting in the middle-order?
While it is easy to form an opinion on paper, it is not as simple to implement the same in the actual sense. In Rohit's case, he was moved up to open the innings in Test matches in October 2019 in the home series against South Africa since there was no vacancy in the middle order. Since then, he has established himself at the top of the order with some fantastic performances in Tests.
Yes, the 37-year-old has struggled for form lately and also doesn't have a great record in Australia in Test matches. But, he too will be keen to prove a point in what will, most probably, be his last Test tour Down Under. Being the captain, the big question is whether he believes that opening the innings in the pink-ball Test is in the best interest of the side. That could be the clincher in the debate.
Expert view on Rohit vs Rahul opening debate
Below are a couple of expert opinions on the Rohit vs Rahul opening debate ahead of the second BGT 2024-25 Test in Adelaide.
"I want Rohit Sharma to come back in the opening because Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal had become a pair. Yes, Rohit was not there, that's why K.L. Rahul returned in the opening. I want Rohit to come back because the square boundaries of Adelaide are very small. And Rohit has a habit of pulling. Pulling is a very productive shot for him. So he can make a lot of runs by pulling shots. - Sunil Gavaskar to Sports Tak.
"Rohit Sharma could suggest, with the kind that form that he has, 'I don't need to open'. If you can drop Ashwin and Jadeja and pick Washington Sundar on current reality, that is an option. It will be tough to do and Rohit Sharma will himself have to decide because there's also that history of Rohit Sharma getting two hundreds in his first two Test matches batting at No. 6." - Sanjay Manjrekar to ESPNcricinfo.
Rohit Sharma or KL Rahul - Who do you think should open the batting for India in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide?