Irfan Pathan has extended his support to Rohit Sharma’s move in the batting lineup for the second test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
India’s captain Rohit Sharma returned to lead the side for missing the first test of the five-match series, with KL Rahul playing in his position.
With Rohit returning to the team after missing the first test for the birth of the second child, Pathan suggested a swap with Devdutt Padikkal, allowing KL Rahul to retain his opening spot alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal.
India commanding win in the Perth Test saw KL Rahul silenced critics with a gritty 77 in the second innings making a 201 run partnership with brilliant Yashavi Jaiswal. This performance has strengthened the chances of KL Rahul to continue opening, pushing Rohit to drop down the order.
Pathan speaking emphasised Rohit’s versatility and vast experience across the batting positions, expressing confidence in the skipper’s ability to adapt without compromising the team’s balance.
🗣️ #TeamIndia captain Rohit Sharma talks about his decision to bat in the middle-order in the Adelaide Test #AUSvIND | @ImRo45 pic.twitter.com/pdiqQPaLgP
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 5, 2024
“I think in the Test Match, Rohit Sharma will be back. He is the captain, so he will have a straight swap with Devdutt Padikkal. And Shubman Gill should also be in the squad, instead of Dhruv Jurel. There were a lot of questions on the batting position of KL Rahul. He should open with Yashasvi Jaiswal,” Irfan said.
“Rohit Sharma has batted in different numbers. So he will be able to adjust very well. Since it was a very good opening, you don’t want to change it, especially after Perth’s win. So Rohit and Shubman Gill will bat in the middle order, and KL Rahul and Yashasvi will both open,” he added.
With Rohit’s return significantly boosts India’s batting line up, it also brings in confusion to the team composition for the second test. The potential return of Shubman Gill further deepens the speculations in forming India’s line up for Pink ball test.
India secured a 295-run victory during the first test and secured a 1-0 lead in the five match series and will be looking to replicate the victory in the pink ball test starting on December 06 at Adelaide Oval.
