When was the last time Rohit Sharma batted at No. 5 or lower in a Test match before BGT 2024-25?
Rohit Sharma has been India’s opening batter for a long time now, and across formats. But the Indian skipper recently announced KL Rahul would continue as the opening batter for the upcoming Adelaide Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy, adding that he’d bat "somewhere in the middle."
Rohit missed the opening Test of the series as he was on a paternal leave. Speaking in the press conference ahead of the second BGT 2024-25 Test, he confirmed that KL Rahul would bat in the opening slot. He said:
“KL will open (in Adelaide). The way he batted and his partnership with Jaiswal was instrumental in that first test win. The way he has batted outside India, he deserves it. I will bat somewhere in the middle. It was a fairly simple decision. Personally, it wasn’t easy but for the team, it was an easy decision to make.”
Rohit Sharma last batted in a non-opening slot in Tests during the 2018/19 Border Gavaskar series. Facing Australia at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), the now-Indian captain scored an unbeaten 63 in the first innings. He was dismissed for 5 in the second innings.
Since then, Rohit has only opened for India in Tests. Notably, he has had the opportunity to play at positions from No. 1 to No. 6.
What happened the last time Rohit Sharma batted at No. 5 or below?
During the Melbourne Test of the 2018 BGT series, Hanuma Vihari and Mayank Agarwal opened for India’. with Rohit Sharma batting at No. 6. It was a memorable Test for the team as they defeated the hosts by 137 runs.
While Agarwal scored 76(161), Cheteshwar Pujara notched up a ton and Virat Kohli played a 204-ball 82-run knock. Middle-order batters Ajinkya Rahane (34), Rohit Sharma (63*) and Rishabh Pant (39) contributed well to the team’s total as India declared at 443/7.
In response, Australia could only manage 151 runs as Jasprit Bumrah picked up a six-wicket haul. The second innings was a tough one for the Indian side, with the pitch supporting the bowlers immensely.
Mayank Agarwal was the top scorer for India, with a 102-ball 42, followed by Rishabh Pant, who scored 33. Rohit was dismissed for an 18-ball 5. Nonetheless, India posted a 399-run target for the hosts, who were held to 261 in the final innings as the visitors clinched a win.
Rohit Sharma has played 16 innings at No. 5, scoring 437 runs with a top score of 79. At No. 6, he has played 25 innings, scoring 1037 runs, with 177 being his best knock.
Rohit has three centuries and nine half-centuries batting in the middle order. All three of his centuries came batting at No. 6, from where he also notched up six 50s. He has three half-centuries to show for from #5.