Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar believes full-time skipper Rohit Sharma doesn’t necessarily need to open the innings in the second Test match against Australia at Adelaide, which will be a pink-ball game.
Rohit has joined the team in Perth after missing the opening Test of the series. However, the veteran batter isn’t in the best of forms as he could only amass 91 runs in three Test matches against New Zealand at an average of 15.17.
Meanwhile, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jasiwal added 201 runs for the opening alliance against Australia in the second innings, which is the highest opening partnership for India in the red-ball version while playing in the Australian conditions.
“Rohit Sharma could suggest, with the kind that form that he has, ‘I don’t need to open’. If you can drop Ashwin and Jadeja and pick Washington Sundar on current reality, that is an option. It will be tough to do and Rohit Sharma will himself have to decide because there’s also that history of Rohit Sharma getting two hundreds in his first two Test matches batting at No. 6,” Manjrekar said on ESPNCricinfo.
Manjrekar suggested that Rohit Sharma could bat in the middle order as it is not going to be easy for him to open in the pink-ball Test.
“Rohit Sharma, with the new ball, pink ball Test match – it is going to be tough, but I guess India will have to go to the captain to bat him in his traditional position. But now, India have an option number two for Rohit. And KL Rahul, whether he bats at number three or bats at number five, we just have an in-form confident batter in the batting line-up,” the former India batter added.
The cricket expert wants KL Rahul to keep batting in the top order as he is now in form. Rahul scored a fine knock of 77 runs in the second essay.
“That again makes a lot of sense. Use KL Rahul’s technique, his current form to bat him in the top three because that is where the challenge is really serious.”
India declared at 487-6 in the second innings to give a huge target of 534 to Australia. The hosts lost three wickets before the third day’s play as Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj picked two and one wicket respectively.
