In the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT 2024-25), which starts on Friday, December 6 at the Adelaide Oval, Rohit Sharma should slip to number six in the batting order, according to former India selector Devang Gandhi. During Sunday’s warm-up match against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra, the Indian captain batted in the middle order but was removed for just three runs.
Since Rohit was on paternity leave, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal opened the batting in the first Test match in Perth. In the second innings, the gifted pair stitched a partnership of 201 runs that won the match. Rohit fell to No. 4 in the warm-up match, and they also opened.
Given that Rishabh Pant has demonstrated exceptional potential at No. 5, Devang Gandhi recommended that Rohit drop to No. 6.
Virat Kohli, who missed the Canberra warm-up match, will return at number four.
If Rohit bats in the middle order, India can sustain the left-right combination, according to the former India opener. A middle-order batsman starting at the top of the order as an opener would be hard, according to Gandhi, but he doesn’t think the switch would be as tough if it were the other way around.
Since Rishabh Pant has also developed nicely at number five, I actually believe Rohit should start at number six. Gandhi told the Times of India that the left-right combination may also be kept that way.
If a middle-order hitter attempts to become an opener in the later years of his career, it gets challenging. However, an opener will have little trouble moving up to the middle order, particularly Rohit, who began his Indian career as a little. 6 batsman,” he continued.
In his first Test match, Rohit Sharma batted for India at number six.
Rohit Sharma batted at No. 6 in the Tests during India’s historic 2018–19 tour of Australia, scoring 37, 1, 63*, and 5 in his two appearances in Melbourne and Adelaide. Although Rohit showed signs of potential when he began his Test career in the middle order, his propensity to waste his wicket after getting off to a strong start was the main grievance. Nevertheless, he has a remarkable overall record when batting at number six, scoring 1,037 runs at an average of 54.57 in 16 games. The 37-year-old’s bat from that position has produced three hundreds and six half-centuries.
Recently, Rohit hasn’t been too successful in the red-ball arena. In India’s most recent Test match against New Zealand at home, he managed just 91 runs from six innings. In the high-stakes series against the formidable Australians, the Nagpur native would be aiming to break out of his slump.
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