Who said what - top 5 expert opinions on Rohit Sharma's batting position for BGT 2024-25 3rd Test ft. Ravi Shastri
One of the several topics of conversation and debate after India's loss in Adelaide has been Indian captain Rohit Sharma's batting position. Rohit missed the opening Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 in Perth but returned for the pink-ball Test in Adelaide.
Not tinkering with the opening combination of Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul, Rohit decided to bat down the order, taking the No. 6 slot. However, it turned out to be a disastrous outing for the Indian skipper as he failed to deliver in both innings with scores of 3 and 6, respectively.
Ahead of the third Test in Brisbane, scheduled to begin on Saturday, December 14, there have been discussions over where the Indian skipper should bat.
Going by the records, Rohit has thrived as an opener in Tests, scoring 2685 runs from 64 innings with an average of 44.02. At No. 6, he has played 27 innings and has scored 1046 runs with an average of 49.80, which makes the debate interesting. However, his performances in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) have been better as an opener.
While it remains to be seen where the Indian skipper will bat in the third Test, experts have divided opinions on this debate.
#1 Ravi Shastri
Former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri believes Rohit Sharma should return to the top. After his performance in Adelaide, Shastri said that Rohit looked subdued in the middle order.
“That’s the reason I want him at the top. That’s where he can be aggressive and expressive. Just thought he was a little too subdued, just seeing his body language,” Shastri told Star Sports.
“The fact that he didn’t make runs, I don’t think there was enough on the field there. I just wanted to see him more involved, and a little more animated,” he added.
#2 Sunil Gavaskar
Another great of the game and one of India's top players in the past, Sunil Gavaskar agreed with Ravi Shastri on Rohit Sharma's batting position for the Brisbane Test.
Gavaskar opined that KL Rahul opened the innings in Rohit's absence and now that the skipper is back, he should reclaim his position at the top of the order.
“He should return to his regular spot. We should remember why Rahul had opened. He did that because Rohit Sharma was not available for the first Test,” said Gavaskar on ‘Sports Tak’.
#3 Devang Gandhi
While Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar want Rohit Sharma to return to his opening position, former national Devang Gandhi thinks that the Indian Test skipper should continue batting at No. 6.
“Coming to Rohit’s batting position, No. 6 is correct call by team management. There isn’t enough data in SENA countries to suggest that he has had tremendous success as an opener,” Devang said, as reported by India Today.
To put things into perspective, Rohit had a successful series against England during India's tour in 2021. However, there is not enough data showing his success as an opener in SENA countries otherwise, as Devang stated.
#4 Dodda Ganesh
Former Indian cricketer Dodda Ganesh warned Rohit against opening in the Brisbane Test. Ganesh has advised the right-hander to stick to No.6 as his form has not been great and opening the batting in Australian conditions against their attack in such a scenario would further dent his confidence.
“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 lamb to the slaughterhouse if he opens #AUSvIND,” the former cricketer tweeted on his official X handle.
#5 Simon Katich
Meanwhile, former Australian opener Simon Katich also provided his take on the debate. Katich went against Ravi Shastri's opinion, stating that although the former head coach would know the group better, Rohit should continue batting at No. 6.
"I don't like to disagree with Ravi because he knows that group better than I do. But I think he (Rohit) should stay at six and the reason I say that is because I thought KL Rahul was India's best player in Perth. Even though Jaiswal got the 160 I thought Rahul set them up in both innings. I think at the moment, he looks like a player that could really hurt Australia and the reason I say that is because he can wear down this Australian attack and make them bowl multiple spells and that's what we saw in Perth, particularly in the second innings. I think Rohit Sharma should stay at six and he can be a really good aggressive player in the middle order," Katich told ESPN.