IND vs AUS: Despite his century in Perth, Virat Kohli has received much slack from his critics. But, hang on, Rohit Sharma isn’t far behind either. In fact, he is in a much worse slump than Kohli. Ever since taking India to the T20 World Cup 2024 triumph, the Indian captain has failed to inspire. To put it bluntly, he has been a shadow of the batter he truly is, and it is affecting his captaincy as well. In Adelaide, India welcomed Rohit in the lineup but went two steps behind in terms of execution.
Rohit shouldn’t disturb KL Rahul-Jaiswal duo
Rohit Sharma missed the opening BGT Test as he was on paternity leave. A new baby boy blessed his life before the Hitman joined the team to witness them crush Australia under the leadership of Jasprit Bumrah. However, the opening duo of Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul really set up that win by a huge margin of 295 runs. Jaiswal and Rahul batted brilliantly, and their opening stand of 201 runs was the brightest spot.
Hence, Rohit Sharma opted not to disturb this opening stand come the second IND vs AUS Test in Adelaide. Instead, he batted at number six just before Nitish Kumar Reddy. KL Rahul’s technique is far more suited than Rohit’s to weather the early storm by Aussie pacers. It was unique to see Rohit come out in the middle order after ages. However, things didn’t go as planned. He looked lacklustre, lacked confidence, and simply out of place. Rohit’s stay in the middle lasted just 9 runs across both the innings. Even in the practice game against the Prime Minister’s XI, Rohit made 3 off 11 before getting caught behind.
‘Out-of-form’ Rohit needs time to recoup
Rohit Sharma has consistently failed to deliver in the longest format of the game following his retirement after India’s T20 World Cup win. His form, which saw a dip in the home series against Bangladesh, continued in the series against New Zealand and now against Australia in the IND vs AUS 2nd Test. In his last 12 innings, the Hitman has registered scores of 6, 5, 23, 8, 2, 52, 0, 8, 18, 11, 3, 6, averaging just 11.83. Barring one half-century, Sharma has a majority of single-digit scores in his last few innings.
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He needs time. Rohit, who has looked in all sorts of trouble, will get that time in the middle order. Yes, he was one of the best all-format openers two years ago, but knows how to play in the middle order. Facing the new ball against the likes of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins isn’t easy, especially for a batter who’s dwindling from confidence. Rohit’s feet movement was nowhere to be seen when he got a chance to bat in the twilight period. He got a lucky inside egde off the first ball against Starc before Cummins bowled a peach of a delivery to get rid of him.
IND vs AUS Rohit knows how to bat at No. 6
| Position | Mat | Inns | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 100s | 50s |
| 1st | 18 | 29 | 1226 | 161 | 43.78 | 53 | 3 | 5 |
| 2nd | 24 | 35 | 1459 | 212 | 44.21 | 65.3 | 6 | 3 |
| 3rd | 4 | 5 | 107 | 53 | 21.4 | 41.63 | 0 | 1 |
| 4th | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 25 | 0 | 0 |
| 5th | 9 | 16 | 437 | 79 | 29.13 | 48.55 | 0 | 3 |
| 6th | 17 | 27 | 1046 | 177 | 49.8 | 59.9 | 3 | 6 |
The table above clearly shows that Rohit knows how to handle the number six role. It is the same position where he started his Test career, smashing a century in a historic series against the West Indies—Sachin Tendulkar’s last assignment as an Indian cricketer. Across 17 matches, he has made over 1000 runs. His average was above 50 prior to the Adelaide Test but is now at 49.8 at number six. With Rishabh Pant at number five, Rohit’s attacking nature could put the hosts on the backfoot.
Moreover, even in India’s practice session on Tuesday, Rohit didn’t look in fluent touch. He started batting after the likes of Kohli, Jaiswal, and Pant already began. Rohit batted against spinners, giving fans a subtle hint that he might continue batting at six come the crucial Brisbane Test, starting from December 14.
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