NEW DELHI: Having missed the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series due to paternity leave, all eyes were on Rohit Sharma as he made his return, with many curious about how the 37-year-old would adapt to Australian conditions ahead of the upcoming pink-ball Test in Adelaide. However, it came as a surprise when Rohit did not open the batting in the warm-up match against Australia’s Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra.
In a surprising move, the Indian team management sent Rohit in at number four, but the experiment backfired as the Indian captain was dismissed cheaply for just 3 runs.
Pacer Charlie Anderson bowled a back-of-a-length delivery outside off, and Rohit’s attempt to drive the ball resulted in an outside edge, which was safely caught by Oliver Davies at first slip.
India opted to stick with their successful opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul in the pink-ball warm-up match.
Both players had a significant role in India’s dominant win in the Perth Test, where they put on a solid 201-run stand for the first wicket.
At the toss, Rohit’s name was listed at No. 5 in the batting order, just after Virat Kohli.
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During the Perth Test, which India won by a commanding 295-run margin, the Jaiswal-KL Rahul opening combination impressed, especially in the second innings. They shared a remarkable 201-run stand for the first wicket, which helped India set a massive 534-run target.
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Although India’s first innings in Perth was a modest 150, the Jaiswal-Rahul partnership put up a strong fight against the Australian quicks in the second innings, and with both players continuing as openers in the warm-up match, it seems likely that this combination will remain unchanged for the second Test.
Meanwhile, Rohit has previously batted in the middle order. After making his debut against the West Indies in 2013, he was part of India’s middle order before moving to the top of the order in the 2019 home Test series against South Africa.
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