Captain Rohit Sharma will bat at number three in the Adelaide Test against Australia, former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh calculated on Monday, ruling out the possibility of the senior star batting at number five or six. KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal added a record-breaking 201 runs in the opening stand during the second innings of the Perth Test, with the visitors winning by 295 runs with plenty of time to play. “I don’t think Rohit will come in at number 5 or number 6. Rohit will open with Yashasvi Jaiswal and bat before KL Rahul comes in at number 3 or at the latest,” Harbhajan told PTI. The World Tennis League was launched here.
“Rohit’s number six will not be in the best interest of the team. The top four in the batting order should be the four pillars, and someone like Rohit at the top will only add more fillips.” The second Test, a day-night affair played with a pink ball, begins at Adelaide Oval on Friday.
Harbhajan described the move to play Washington Sundar against R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the series opener as a huge step.
“Washington has shown in the New Zealand series that he is ready to take over from Ashwin in the coming days,” said the ‘Turbanator’.
When asked if Ashwin’s age was a factor, he said: “I don’t think 38 is old. He’s not 58, but he is. After that many years, you start to get tired and experience wear and tear in your shoulders, which can cause your zipper to shrink a little.” Harbhajan also urged officials at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to put aside their egos and agree to a ‘hybrid model’ for the next ICC Champions Trophy, with India playing in Dubai.
“Ask any player and they will tell you that they are ready to play in Abu Dhabi or Dubai. After all, there are not many Indo-Pak games and Pakistan needs to put its ego aside and agree to the ‘hybrid’ model’.
“There are security concerns (about India) and I have been saying this since 2022,” he added.
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