Rohit at number 6 wouldn't be in best interest of the team: Harbhajan

Former India offspinner Harbhajan Singh doesn’t see skipper Rohit Sharma batting in the middle-order in the second Test (day-night) against Australia in Adelaide, starting on December 6. Rohit not batting in the top-three in the pink ball warm-up game against Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra raised quite a few eyebrows.

The 37-year-old was on paternity leave and missed the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth, which India won by a massive margin of 295 runs. In his absence, Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul opened the innings and did an incredible job, especially in the second innings. 

The two put on a match-winning opening stand of 201 in India’s second innings and as a result, the management could very well ask Rohit to play in the middle-order in the second Test. Jaiswal got out for a duck in the first innings but responded with a stunning knock of 161 in the second essay. Meanwhile, Rahul looked comfortable in both innings, registering scores of 26 off 74 and 77 off 176. 

The Indian team management gave a strong hint on the matter when Rahul and Jaiswal walked out to open the innings in the warm-up game against the Prime Minister’s XI despite Rohit being available. The two put on 75 runs and even countered Scott Boland very well. 

Rohit batted at No.4 and could only score three runs. The right-hander has batted at No.5 and 6 on numerous occasions in the past. Rohit has scored 1,474 runs in 41 innings at an average of 43.35 in those two positions, including three tons and nine fifties. However, he last batted in one of those two positions in 2018, coincidentally in Australia.

"I don't see Rohit coming in at number five or six. Either Rohit will open with Yashasvi Jaiswal, with KL Rahul coming in at number three, or he will bat no later than number three. Number six for Rohit wouldn't be in best interest of the team. Your top four in batting order should be the four pillars and someone like Rohit at the top would only add greater fillip,” Harbhajan told PTI.

Talking about India picking Washington Sundar ahead of R Ashwin, Harbhajan said: "Washington had showed during the New Zealand series that he is ready to take over the mantle from Ashwin in the coming days. I don't think 38 is old. Ashwin is not a 58- year-old. But yes, after so many years, the shoulders do experience fatigue and wear and tear, so the zip can just be a bit less."

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