Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes India skipper Rohit Sharma should return to his usual opening position for the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test against Australia, starting on December 14 in Brisbane. For the second Test at the Adelaide Oval, Rohit opted to bat at No. 1. six not to disturb the Yashasvi Jaiswal-KL Rahul combination, who shared an opening stand of 201 runs and paved the way for India's 295-run win in Perth. But Rohit could make only nine runs in two innings as the number six batsman in India's 10-wicket defeat to Australia at the Adelaide Oval as the Pat Cummins-led side squared the five-match series to level the score at 1-1.
“I felt that if (Rohit) Sharma came back into the side, he should have gone straight back to the top and opened the batting. That's how I felt about it. And I know KL and Jaiswal had a 200-run partnership in Perth and they had played well, but he (Rohit) is your captain.
“He is one of your most experienced players. You want to send him to the top in his normal role. So that's something they might think about. They may be thinking of Rohit going back to the top for Brisbane,” Ponting said on the ICC Review show.
In his last 12 Test innings, Rohit has made just 142 runs at an average of 11.83. Ponting stated that if he was in the Indian team camp, he would look for ways to make him feel comfortable scoring runs as an opener ahead of the crunch Brisbane Test.
“It's like you just know it within yourself. You don't need anyone to tell you whether you're making runs or not, or whether you're hitting well or not. Deep down you know it too. Rohit had a longer break for that Test match, and it wasn't the easiest wicket to bat on anyway, I think that needs to be said. Most of the boys struggled to make runs on that wicket.
“Whether concerned is the right word…whether it's just concerned, or just a little worried about making runs the next time you bat. But if I were India and him, I would try to find a way to make it as comfortable as possible.”
“And he's been opening the batting for so long. I would take him right back there and try to find a spot for KL (Rahul) somewhere further down the order. That's what I would do. Because I think that's what he (Rohit) would want most,” he concluded.
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