Ravi Shastri backs Rohit Sharma to bat in middle-order in pink-ball Test against Australia

Former Indian all-rounder Ravi Shastri wants Rohit Sharma to bat in the middle-order in the pink-ball Test match against Australia. Rohit missed the opening Test match after the birth of his second child and in his absence, KL Rahul opened the innings with Yashasvi Jaiswal.

While Rahul and Jaiswal could not deliver in the first innings as the latter was dismissed without troubling the scorers, the duo added 201 runs in the second innings, which is the highest opening partnership for India while playing in Australian conditions.

Shastri wants Rohit to bat at a position where Australia doesn’t want to see him. The former Indian head coach said Rohit has all the experience under his belt and must back himself to deliver.

“He’s experienced enough to see where he’s most dangerous when it comes to Australia. Where would Australia not like to see him? That’s the position he should choose. And he’s the leader of the pack, so he can afford to do that. It’s a fantastic boost because there’s no doubting his quality. He’s very experienced. You need that experience in the middle order,” Ravi Shastri said on ICC.

“It’s the right mix of experience and youth in the setup, so whether he opens the batting or goes in the middle order, the choice is his. I think he (Rahul) should carry on (opening) because Rohit has not had much time since he’s come here (Australia). Very quickly he had to play that Prime Minister’s XI game. But I would say carry on with the same setup. He [Rohit] can bat at five or six.”

Meanwhile, Shubman Gill has also recovered from his thumb injury and he is all set to return to the team. Shastri said India has a potent batting unit as they have experienced batters.

“The fact that Shubman Gill is fit as well makes it a very strong Indian side. I would say in the last 10-15 years, of all the sides that have come out to Australia, you get the feeling that this is one of the strongest batting line-ups simply because of the experience. You have Shubman fit, bats at three. Rohit’s fit, he comes back and plays instead of (Devdutt) Padikkal and (Dhruv) Jurel,” said Shastri.

The second Test match between Australia and India, which will be a pink-ball game, will be played at Adelaide Oval from December 6 onwards.