Rohit Sharma revealed in the press conference on the eve of the pink ball test in Adelaide that KL Rahul will continue to open the innings for team India. Sharma will slot himself somewhere in the middle order to accommodate Rahul.
Rahul was mighty impressive in the Perth Test at the top of the order in the absence of Rohit Sharma. You have to keep in mind that Rahul hasn’t opened in a Test since February 2023.
Rohit said, “KL will open the innings and I will play somewhere in the middle. Not easy for me but it’s the best for the team. What KL has shown outside India, he deserves that place (opening slot).”
Rohit Sharma was slated to return to the team from the second test in Australia. Now, the big question was whether Sharma would return to his normal batting order, or will he make way for Rahul. Rahul showed some technical prowess in the Perth test. He consistently played inside the line of the ball when it was tough against Australian pacers. The 26 runs from Rahul in the first innings proved to be a critical knock as the team bundled out for 150. In the second innings, he made a much bigger impact on the scoreboard by scoring 77 from 176 balls.
Rohit was showering praises for Rahul, especially how he played with Yashaswi Jaiswal in the second innings. Rohit also said that moving down the order is not an easy decision for him, but it makes sense from the team’s perspective.
“We want results, we want success. Those two guys [Rahul and Jaiswal] at the top, they batted brilliantly in Perth. I was watching from home. Rahul was brilliant to watch. He deserves that place at this point in time. There is no need to change that now, maybe things will be different in the future. Personally, it is not easy for me (to move down) but for the team, it made a lot of sense.”