“It will be lamb to the slaughterhouse” - Former India cricketer trashes suggestions of Rohit Sharma opening in 3rd BGT 2024-25 Test
Former India player Dodda Ganesh has slammed the idea of sending skipper Rohit Sharma back to his opening spot in the third Test at Gabba in Brisbane, which starts on December 14. The 51-year-old reckoned the move would be similar to sending a lamb to a slaughterhouse.
The reaction came after former India captain Sunil Gavaskar and ex-head coach Ravi Shastri stressed that Rohit should return to his opening slot.
While explaining his decision, Ganesh said Rohit is out of confidence due to a lack of runs in his last six Tests, scoring just 142 runs at an average of 11.83. He stressed that Rohit is only suited to opening in sub-continent conditions since the ball doesn’t do much compared to pace-friendly conditions in Australia.
Dodda Ganesh wrote on X:
"Rohit Sharma is already short of confidence and runs. Experts urging him to open at Gabba is foolhardy, to say the least. The series is not being played in the sub-continent where he can throw his bat and get some runs. It will be a lamb to the slaughterhouse if he opens.”
Rohit scored three and six in his two innings after sacrificing his opening spot for KL Rahul in the second Test held in Adelaide. He played at No. 6 after a gap of 37 Tests.
That came as Rahul scored 26 and 77 in the opening Test. The Karnataka batter, however, returned with 37 and seven in the second Test.
Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar want Rohit Sharma to move back to the opening spot
Speaking on Star Sports, Ravi Shastri called for Rohit Sharma to start while pointing to his ability to play an aggressive brand of cricket. He said:
"That's where he can be [Rohit Sharma] aggressive and expressive. Just thought he was a little too subdued, just seeing his body language.”
Sunil Gavaskar echoed Shastri's thoughts, telling Sports Tak:
"He [Rohit Sharma] should return to his regular spot.”
Rohit is equally under fire for his captaincy after losing four Tests in a row, including a 0-3 defeat to New Zealand. He will be keen to resurrect the Men in Blue and will be hoping to become the only third Indian skipper to win a Test series in Australia after Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane.