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NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer Ravi Shastri has shared his thoughts on the position Rohit Sharma should bat during the remainder of the Border-Gavaskar series against Australia. Shastri also discussed what the experienced skipper needs to do to regain his best form.
Rohit’s decision to bat lower down the order in the ongoing series has not yielded the results the India captain might have hoped for.
After missing the opening Test to be with his family for the birth of his second child, Rohit was expected to return to the top of the order. However, KL Rahul’s impressive 77 in India’s victory in Perth prompted a reshuffle, with Rohit moving to No. 6.
This change has yet to bear fruit, as Rohit has managed scores of 10, three, and six in his last three innings. Meanwhile, Rahul has capitalized on the opportunity, cementing his place at the top with a stellar 84 in the first innings at Brisbane in the third Test.
Speaking with host Sanjana Ganesan on the latest episode of The ICC Review, Shastri supported Rahul’s position as opener and shared his views on how Rohit could make an impact batting lower down the order.
“I would have asked him (Rohit) to open in the last Test match but then the way Rahul has batted, I mean he was a joy to watch and the way he’s batting, I believe he struck a purple patch,” Shastri said.
“It could be a position he might just want to keep and enhance the way he’s playing because his technique was faultless. The way he left the ball, the way he allowed the ball to come onto the bat, I mean some of his cover drives were as good as any played by anyone in world cricket at the moment. And so I think when there’s that much confidence there, you know, let it be.”
“I would like to see Rohit Sharma, his tactics change a bit because he can still be extremely dangerous at that number (six).”
Rohit is no stranger to batting at No. 6 in Test cricket, having made his Test debut in 2013 in this position with a century to mark the occasion. Prior to the Border-Gavaskar series, Rohit had batted 25 times at No. 6, amassing 1037 runs at an impressive average of 54.57. However, his last appearance at this position was in 2018, after which he firmly established himself as a Test opener.
Shastri suggested that Rohit should bring his white-ball mindset to No. 6, urging him to adopt the aggressive approach that has defined his success in limited-overs cricket.
“I think he’s got to be very clear in his mindset to go out there and take the attack to the opposition and not worry about anything else,” Shastri said.
“The last thing you want is him to be in two minds whether to defend or attack. In his case, it should be attack. He picks up length quickly, he should take the opposition on at that number. Because if he gets away in the first 10-15 minutes, in any way, he’s not got past that 15-20 minutes, half an hour. So why don’t you play a natural game, go and take the attack to the opposition and take it from there?”
“Because I think that is his best way of not just coming back into form, winning a game for India as well. Because that number is a crucial number. The best No. 6s in the world are the guys who know how to have the ability to counter-attack. They read the situation well. Yes, if a lot of wickets have fallen, maybe for a little while, you might have to be circumspect, but the intent has to be far sooner than later.
“Especially when you have that kind of ability and especially when you open the batting for India and you have all the shots for Australian conditions.”
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