Ravi Shastri wants Rohit Sharma to open in the Gabba Test , after a subdued display in Adelaide Test. Rohit Sharma’s Captaincy and KL Rahul‘s performance are also discussed.
Ravi Shastri Wants Rohit Sharma To Open
Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri has voiced his opinion on Rohit Sharma. He emphasized that the Indian captain should return to the opening position in the upcoming Gabba Test. Concerns about Rohit’s subdued body language during the AdelayTest were highlighted by Ravi Shastri.
India’s captain Rohit Sharma had opted to bat at No. 6 in the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He allowed KL Rahul to retain the opening slot after his impressive performance.Â
However, Rohit managed to score only 9 runs across two innings, leading to criticism of his approach and performance.
Subdued Body Language Of Rohit Sharma
Ravi Shastri expressed concern over Rohit’s body language during the Adelaide Test. According to him, the Indian skipper appeared too passive, which reflected in his lack of runs. Shastri States that Rohit’s natural aggression and expressiveness can be better utilised at the top of the order.
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“That’s the reason I want him at the top. That’s where he can be aggressive and expressive. Just thought he was a little too subdued, just seeing his body language. The fact that he didn’t make runs, I don’t think there was enough on the field there. I just wanted to see him more involved, and a little more animated. You still have to believe that you can bounce back in this series. You have seen with these two teams, that the counter-punch is almost immediate. It’s happened over the last 10 years. You lose one, you win the next, but you have to have the belief,” Shastri said.
KL Rahul Middle Order Concerns
Ravi Shastri also addressed KL Rahul’s position in the batting line-up. He suggested that Rahul, who scored 77 in the Perth Test, should move to the middle order if Rohit resumes opening.
“It would mean Rahul would go back to the middle order. But that’s what he was going to do if Rohit Sharma had started from the first Test itself,” he added.
Rohit’s Captaincy Concerns
Alongside batting concerns, Shastri also pointed out a few questionable captaincy decisions made by Rohit. He referred to the under utilisation of R. Ashwin on Day 1 and the delay in bringing Jasprit Bumrah into the attack.
Shastri advised Rohit to take inspiration from Pat Cummins’ leadership style, particularly his composed response after Australia’s loss in Perth.
“I like the choice of words by Pat Cummins in Perth. He said we weren’t good enough, but we weren’t as bad as the scoreboard showed. The reason I say good choice of words is because it wasn’t about what people said or what was written about, it was about what the scoreboard showed. I think India can take a leaf out of that,” he said.
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