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Rohit came out to bat at No. 6 for India in the 2nd Test against Australia but was only able to score 3 and 6 runs in two innings.
Cheteshwar Pujara wants Rohit Sharma to continue batting at No. 6 in 3rd Test. (Picture Credit: AP)
Veteran Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara reckons Rohit Sharma should continue to bat in the middle order in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy. Team India is heading to The Gabba after enduring a defeat in the second Test. With the victory in Adelaide, Australia levelled the five-match series. Rohit batted at No. 6 in the pink-ball Test, with KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal occupying the opening slots. The Indian captain who missed the series opener due to family commitments managed only nine runs across the two innings in his comeback game.
Rohit appeared to be struggling a lot when the ball was coming into his off and middle stumps. He was trapped for an LBW by Scott Boland in the first innings, and next time, he was castled by Australian skipper Pat Cummins. Cheteshwar Pujara expects to see a better version of Rohit in the third Test, set to begin on December 14.
According to Pujara, Rohit should work more on his technique, and a bigger front-foot stride might help him survive longer in the challenging Australian conditions.
“He has not scored a lot of runs against New Zealand, and he did not start well in Australia, so there is a bit of pressure on him to perform. But someone like him who knows his game will just have to be more positive and work a bit more on his footwork,” Pujara was heard saying in a video posted by ESPNCricinfo.
“If he has a slightly bigger stride, it will help him. The stump line has been troubling him a lot. He has been getting out bowled and LBW, which is a bit of a concern for him. That’s the line he will have to work on in the nets because, in the balls outside off stump, he is looking more comfortable,” he added.
Pujara further suggested that Rohit should let Jaiswal and Rahul open the innings in Brisbane. “I think he (Rohit) should continue to bat at No. 6. We are looking at India’s future, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal. They batted well in the 1st Test match, and Shubman is also likely to bat at No. 3. We should think about the long term,” the 36-year-old explained.
As an opening pair, Jaiswal and Rahul performed brilliantly in the first Test in Perth. They stitched a 201-run partnership in the second innings, which helped India win the match by 295 runs. Jaiswal and Rahul, however, were unable to match the expectations in the Adelaide Test, which the visitors lost by 10 wickets.
