There has been a lot of talk on the batting position of KL Rahul. His batting position has never been stable and he has batted at all positions starting from opening to number six. Rahul has also faced a lot of criticism for his inconsistent performance in Test cricket and was also dropped after the first Test against New Zealand. However, he opened the innings against Australia in the absence of Rohit Sharma in the first Test match at the Optus Stadium in Perth.
The Karnataka batter displayed excellent technique against the new ball on a difficult pitch against a strong bowling attack in both innings. He stitched together a 201 runs partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal in the second innings and also scored 77 runs in the second innings. As Sharma is back for the second Test match which is a Pink Ball Test match and also Shubman Gill is back after missing out on the first Test due to injury, Rahul’s batting position has been unclear. Gill has batted at number three in Test cricket since the 2023 WTC Final.
Rohit Sharma talks about KL Rahul and his batting position
In the pre-match press conference ahead of the Adelaide Test, the Indian captain has cleared it out that Rahul will open the innings and Rohit will bat somewhere in the middle order. “KL will open (in Adelaide). The way he batted and his partnership with Jaiswal was instrumental in that first test win. The way he has batted outside India, he deserves it. I will bat somewhere in the middle. It was a fairly simple decision. Personally, it wasn’t easy (as a batsman) but for the team, it was an easy decision to make,” Rohit told reporters in Adelaide on Thursday.
Sharma has been under huge pressure for his lack of runs in Test cricket. He was out of form in the Test series at home against New Zealand in which India were whitewashed 3-0. He was also dismissed for just 3 runs in the Pink ball practice game against the Prime Minister’s XI. Meanwhile, India won the first Test against Australia under the captaincy of Jasprit Bumrah by 295 runs.
The last time, India were dismissed for their lowest score in Test cricket (36/9) in the Pink ball Test in Adelaide in BGT 2020/21. The destroyer-in-chief in that innings, Josh Hazlewood, will miss the second Test due to injury and Scott Boland has replaced him in the XI.
