NEW DELHI: Will Rohit Sharma not open and instead bat in the middle-order for India in the upcoming pink-ball in Adelaide?
The Indian team management on Sunday gave indications that India skipper might come down the order against Australia in the second Test, starting December 6.
Having missed the first Test due to paternity leave, all eyes were on Rohit as to how the 37-year-old would adjust to the Australian conditions ahead of the fast-approaching pink-ball Test in Adelaide.
But the opener didn’t come out to bat at the top in the warm-up game against Prime Ministers XI in Canberra.
In a surprising move, the team, on Sunday stuck to their Yashasvi Jaiswal-KL Rahul opening combination in the pink-ball warm-up clash.
The duo of Jaiswal-Rahul walked out to bat in the twilight phase — considered the most challenging time for the batters in a day-night game.
This now means that the management is considering putting Rohit in the middle, at least for the Adelaide Test which is a tough day-night affair.
Earlier, at the toss, in the team sheet, Rohit’s name was slotted at No.5 position after Virat Kohli.
In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener in Perth where India won handsomely by 295 runs and took a 1-0 lead in the series, the Jaiswal-Rahul combination at the top was mighty impressive.
The duo shared a sensational 201-run stand for the first wicket in the second innings that helped India set a massive 534 target.
After putting up a low score of 150 in the first innings in Perth, the Jaiswal-Rahul pair put up a terrific fight against the Aussie quicks in the second essay in Perth and with both now opening in the warm-up fixture, it seems a likely possibility that the combination might not be tinkered with, for the second Test for now.
Rohit, on the other end has previously batted in the middle order.
After making his debut against West Indies in 2013, Rohit was part of India’s middle-order before moving to the top in the 2019 home Test series against South Africa.