Adelaide Test: Rohit Sharma Hints at Sacrificing Opening Spot, Shubman Gill’s Place in Doubt

Published On: December 4, 2024 5:53 am

Shubman Gill can be sacrificed if Rohit Sharma doesn’t begin for India in the Adelaide Test.

A confident Sanjay Manjrekar stated that Rohit Sharma gave a “clear indication” that he will not open in the 2nd Test match against Australia, which begins Friday in Adelaide, when he came out to bat at No. 4 in India’s pink-ball practice match against the Prime Minister’s XI at the Manuka Oval in Canberra. As India debates its batting order, Rohit’s batting position has garnered as much attention as his comeback.

In a perfect world, Rohit would have opened for India as usual, but the team management is having some trouble with the returning captain’s batting position given how well KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal batted in the second innings in the Perth Test.

Six years have passed since Rohit did not open for India in a Test match, which was the Border-Gavaskar Trophy’s Boxing Day Test in 2018. But as India looks to double their advantage over Australia in the day-night test, he, head coach Gautam Gambhir, and the other decision-makers must make that judgment. Rahul, who replaced Rohit at the top of Perth, put up a tough 77 in the second innings.

Meanwhile, his partner Yashasvi Jaiswal struck a fierce 161 as they put up a record-breaking 201-run partnership that laid the groundwork for India’s crushing defeat over Australia by 295 runs.

Rohit has the option to return to open, but doing so would require altering a winning formula—never a good idea when playing Australia. Therefore, Manjrekar is positive that it won’t be at the top of the order, even if there may still be some intrigue about Rohit’s position. If anything, Rohit would be more than willing to come down and try again with Rahul and Jaiswal.

“I think it’s a definite sign. This is the most obvious way to put it. We were all thinking about and wondering if the winning opening pair from the previous game would be eliminated because it was such a significant contribution. In an interview with ESPNCricinfo, Manjrekar stated, “So yeah, very clear indication.”

“There is a lot of logic to it. Imagine Australia’s first-ever opening-wicket partnership of 200 runs. We also witnessed the outcome. I don’t think the present team management, who are genuinely considering cricket logic and form when they choose a guy like Washy above Ashwin and Jadeja, would once more prioritize stature and the current senior/iconic player at the top. You follow present reality and common sense. Since Rohit Sharma is willing to offer to be captain, I believe this is the best course of action. Take full use of your gains in that second inning.

Where is Rohit Sharma at bat, then? Is it at no. 5?

Not in Manjrekar’s opinion. If Rohit bats at number three and the returning Gill drops two positions to number five, India would gain, according to his ideal batting lineup. In the first half of this year, India appointed Gill as Cheteshwar Pujara’s replacement at number three in the series against England. Although he has performed admirably, amassing 179 runs from 4 Test matches at an average of 44.75, Manjrekar believes that Shubman’s appearance in the series would be beneficial for both the team and him.

Since Gill is playing his first Test match of the series, I believe that playing at number five would actually increase his chances of success and contribution. It won’t make much of a difference for Rohit Sharma to bat at No. 3 as opposed to beginning the innings at No. 5. Therefore, No. 3 would be a good middle ground,” he said.

While we’re talking about it, I believe Indian cricket has to get to a point where batting positions aren’t given as much weight as they are in T20 cricket. Do whatever makes cricketing sense, and the management of the Indian squad may want to consider that as well.”