Indian cricket team fans would be overjoyed with the return of the skipper Rohit Sharma (*wasn’t available due to personal reasons) for the 2nd Test match commencing from 5th December at Adelaide. Rohit Sharma would be well aware of the fact that Australia would be well prepared for 2nd Test match after a humiliating defeat in 1st Test match by 295 runs.
It has been a mixed bag for Rohit Sharma as a skipper, New Zealand recently whitewashed India in the Test series by 3-0 that too in India. Rohit Sharma though had won Test series against England by 4-1 in 2024 that too without the presence of Virat Kohli (*opted out due to personal reasons).
Pulling is a very productive shot for Rohit Sharma- Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar was having an interaction with Sports Tak. Sunil Gavaskar stated that Rohit Sharma & Yashasvi Jaiswal earlier had played together and that shouldn’t be changed despite KL Rahul’s brilliant knock in 1st Test match. Sunil Gavaskar pointed out that Rohit Sharma plays the pull shot very well and said that can benefit him in Adelaide due to square boundaries. Gavaskar also named the most likely changes in 2nd Test match.
“I want Rohit Sharma to come back in the opening because Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal had become a pair. Yes, Rohit was not there, that’s why K.L. Rahul returned in the opening. I want Rohit to come back because the square boundaries of Adelaide are very small. And Rohit has a habit of pulling. Pulling is a very productive shot for him. So he can make a lot of runs by pulling shots,” said Sunil Gavaskar.
“No. 6 is KL Rahul. No. 3 is Shubman Gill. Dhruv Jurel didn’t make runs in this (Perth) match. So, instead of him, KL Rahul will come to No. 6. I think these two changes will happen. Will there be any other change? Maybe he will change after seeing the pitch or not,” he added.
Concerns for Australia
Australia’s batters looked clueless against Indian pacers whether it was against the new ball or when it was old. Australia needs to take a leaf out of KL Rahul & Yashasvi Jaiswal’s style of batting. The duo looked serene in their approach & were quite happy to leave the deliveries on wide of off-stump and squeezed a single whenever there was a chance.
There are high chances that one of Mitchell Starc or Josh Hazlewood would be rested for 2nd Test match to manage the workload despite there being more than a week’s time before 2nd Test match. All eyes will be on skipper Pat Cummins who in a press conference had mentioned that they won’t change their tactics & strategy but undoubtedly the Aussies have been shaken very badly.
Also Read: BGT 2024-25 : Michael Hussey Backs Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli To Do Well Against Australia