No, Rohit Sharma won’t be batting at Shubman Gill’s spot at number three. Instead, he will walk out with Yashasvi Jaiswal when Australia complete their first innings in the Boxing Day Test match in Melbourne. Initially, Rohit’s name was slotted at number three and many believed that he would take up Gill’s position, who had to sit out due to team combination. However, India’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has confirmed that Rohit will bat as an opener in the ongoing Test, meaning KL Rahul will have to move to number 3.
Rohit Sharma to open in Boxing Day Test, KL Rahul at No. 3
“Yes, Rohit Sharma will come up in the order. More likely than not, he will open the innings for us,” Abhishek Nayar said while speaking at the post-day press conference.
Earlier on Wednesday, reports had suggested that India could potentially drop Shubman Gill despite the captain throwing his weight behind the batter to do well in Australia. Needless to say, the reports were true. India did drop Gill in favour of Washington Sundar, who adds value with both bat and ball. Rohit will now return to the top-order, where he will be faced with yet another challenge as he continues to bat at positions where he isn’t used to. The Indian skipper has only managed to score 19 runs so far in three innings and will be hoping to break free from the shackles of poor form. He has averaged a mere 6.33 in the BGT so far. Facing the new ball might trigger some more challenge for Rohit but he has previously done well in difficult conditions.
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