"He has never been under pressure at all" - Sunil Gavaskar on Rohit Sharma heading into BGT 2024-25 3rd Test
Sunil Gavaskar reckons Rohit Sharma won't be under any pressure heading into the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 Test. The former India captain also wants his fellow Mumbaikar to return to his opening position.
The third Test between India and Australia will be played in Brisbane from Saturday, December 14. Rohit aggregated only 9 runs across two innings in the visitors' 10-wicket loss in the second Test in Adelaide.
During a discussion on the Star Sports show 'Game Plan', Gavaskar was asked whether Rohit would be under pressure as a captain or a batter heading into the Brisbane Test.
"Neither, he has never been under pressure at all. Everybody knows what he can do and how he can deliver. He will probably be the least worried of the lot. I think we are all concerned because of the fact that he didn't score runs in the Adelaide game, but he is perfectly capable of coming back and coming back in a big way," he replied.
The former India opener opined that Rohit should replace KL Rahul at the top of the order at Gabba.
"If he opens the batting or bats down the order, the pitch should not be an issue. It's just a question of making that mental adjustment. For the last four or five years, you have been the opening bat. Then you come here and because of the double-century partnership at Perth, you do not disturb the opening pair of KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal," Gavaskar observed.
"That made sense but because he has been an opening bat and likes to take responsibility as the captain and the leader of the pack, I think he will want to open the batting. I don't think it sends any signals because Rahul, before the Perth Test, had been batting in the middle order," the cricketer-turned-commentator added.
KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal stitched together a 201-run opening partnership in India's second innings of the first Test in Perth. The Men in Blue stuck with the same opening combination in the second Test.
However, it did not yield the desired results, with Jaiswal being dismissed off the first ball in the first innings and the duo adding only 12 runs in the second essay.
"The captains traditionally are the No. 1 scalp inside the dressing room" - Matthew Hayden on whether the Australians will target Rohit Sharma
![India have lost their last four Tests with Rohit Sharma as skipper. [P/C: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/12/d7127-17339757020914-1920.jpg?w=500)
In the same discussion, Matthew Hayden was asked whether the Australians would target Rohit Sharma in the third Test.
"Captain to captain, they always get targeted. The captains traditionally are the No. 1 scalp inside the dressing room. I would like to see Rohit Sharma give himself a bit of an uppercut, meaning just a little perk in his step," he responded.
The former Australia opener pointed out that Rohit needs to be more energetic on the field.
"He is such a relaxed character, and that's what we love about his dynamic stroke play, but for mine, he hasn't got going here in Australia, and a stiff cup of coffee, maybe rather than an uppercut, might actually just help him perk up his own instincts," Hayden observed.
Rohit has aggregated 717 runs at a below-par average of 31.17 in 13 Tests against Australia. He has an even more underwhelming record in Australia, with his 417 runs in eight games coming at an average of 27.80.