With KL Rahul confirmed to open, Irfan Pathan suggests batting position for Rohit Sharma for 2nd BGT 2024-25 Test
Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan has predicted India captain Rohit Sharma's batting position for the upcoming second Test of the ongoing five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. With KL Rahul confirmed to open in the pink-ball Test, Pathan reckoned that Rohit should play at No. 3 after missing the first Test.
Shubman Gill, who plays one-down, missed the series opener in Perth due to a left-hand thumb injury. Devdutt Padikkal had played at that batting position but failed to deliver, scoring 0 and 25 in his two outings, respectively.
Irfan Pathan told Star Sports (via India Today):
"I think in the Test Match, Rohit Sharma will be back. He is the captain, so he will have a straight swap with Devdutt Padikkal. And Shubman Gill should also be in the squad, instead of Dhruv Jurel. There were a lot of questions on the batting position of KL Rahul. He should open with Yashasvi Jaiswal.”
"Rohit Sharma has batted in different numbers. So he will be able to adjust very well. Since it was a very good opening, you don't want to change it, especially after Perth's win. So Rohit and Shubman Gill will bat in the middle order, and KL Rahul and Yashasvi will both open,” he added.
Rohit has played just five innings at No. 3 in Tests, scoring 107 runs at an average of 21.40, including a half-century. In the middle order, he averages best at No.6, amassing 1037 runs in 25 innings at 54.57, hitting three tons and six half-centuries. On the other hand, Gill has never played at any batting spot other than opening and No. 3 in Tests.
Notably, Dhruv Jurel had played at No. 6 in the first Test, returning with scores of 11 and 1, respectively.
“He probably deserves that place at this point” – Rohit Sharma on sacrificing his spot for KL Rahul
India captain Rohit Sharma, who missed the first Test due to paternity leave, explained why KL Rahul would be opening in the second Test. The 37-year-old said in the pre-match press conference (via ESPNcricinfo):
"How I came to that decision of batting down the order is because we want results, we want success. And those two guys at the top - just looking at this one Test match - they batted brilliantly. I was at home with my newborn in my arms and I was watching how KL batted. It was brilliant to watch, to be honest."
"And I felt that there's no need to change that now. Maybe in the future things will be different, I don't know. So based on what has happened and what KL has shown outside of India, he probably deserves that place at this point," he added.
KL Rahul, who has seven away tons, scored 26 and 77 in the first Test. The wicketkeeper-batter shared a 201-run partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal in the second innings. The tourists won the match by 295 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the five-game series.