Where should Rohit Sharma bat in the India vs Australia 2nd Test? This is one of the most asked questions right now. On merit, he should open the batting. Since deciding to face the new ball, he’s easily one of the best openers in the game. If looking at numbers, he’s scored the most runs for the Indian cricket team in Test cricket since 2019.
KL Rahul & Yashasvi Jaiswal in Rohit Sharma’s absence
But he isn’t just a batter. Rohit also dons the captain’s hat. Therefore his decision should be based upon what’s best for the entire team rather than what’s the best or most comfortable for him. In his absence, KL Rahul took over his role and scored 103 (27 and 76). He was Team India’s best batter despite Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal compiling more runs than him in the India vs Australia 1st Test.
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What should he do? Should he remove Rahul and take over the position? Harbhajan Singh, a former teammate of Rohit, feels that it’ll be best for the team if the Indian captain remains in the top three, even if that means displacing either one of Rahul or Jaiswal.
“I don’t see Rohit coming in at number five or six. Either Rohit will open with Yashasvi Jaiswal, with KL Rahul coming in at number three, or he will bat no later than number three. Number six for Rohit wouldn’t be in the best interest of the team. Your top four in batting order should be the four pillars, and someone like Rohit at the top would only add greater fillip,” Harbhajan told PTI.
This will have implications of its own. Shubman Gill, India’s designated number three, will have to move down to six, a place where he’s never batted before. He’s coming from an injury and might be already low on confidence; to make him change spots might not be the wisest.
Rohit’s record suggests that he can find success at number 6; whether he’ll do so for the team remains to be seen.
Rohit Sharma Test record at different batting positions
| Position | Span | Innings | Runs | High Score | Average | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2021-24 | 29 | 1226 | 161 | 43.78 | 3 | 5 |
| 2nd | 2019-24 | 35 | 1459 | 212 | 44.21 | 6 | 3 |
| 3rd | 2015 | 5 | 107 | 53 | 21.40 | 0 | 1 |
| 4th | 2015 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4.00 | 0 | 0 |
| 5th | 2013-18 | 16 | 437 | 79 | 29.13 | 0 | 3 |
| 6th | 2013-18 | 25 | 1037 | 177 | 54.57 | 3 | 6 |
