KL Rahul will most likely see a change in his batting position in the Indian team for the second Test against Australia in the BGT 2024-25 that will be played in Adelaide under lights. This is because captain Rohit Sharma and batter Shubman Gill are likely to return to the side after missing the first Test in Perth.
India won the Perth Test by 295 runs to go 1-0 up in the five-match series. KL Rahul made an amazing 77 runs and added 201 with Yashasvi Jaiswal for the first wicket as India posted 487/6d in the second innings to set Australia 534 to win.
As both Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill gear up to make their mark in the day-night affair at the Adelaide Oval, the big question is who will make way for them.
Cheteshwar Pujara believes Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill deserve to be in the starting XI, but Team India should not disrupt the successful opening combination of Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul, who were on fire in the Perth Test.
KL Rahul should open or bat at No.3 for India in Adelaide Test- Cheteshwar Pujara
He has advocated for seamless integration, preferring the Indian captain to bat at No. 3, where his expertise may be useful, and Gill at No. 5 to maximize the team’s balance. Pujara added that if Rohit wants to open, KL Rahul should be put at No. 3.
The right-handed batter suggested that KL Rahul should remain at the top of the order, where his game thrives, and it will help them with the balance of India’s formidable batting attack.
“I think, for some reason, if we can carry on with the same batting order like KL and Yashasvi to open, Rohit could come in at three, and Shubman could come in at five. If Rohit wants to open, KL Rahul should bat at No. 3. Nothing later than that. I think he has to bat at the top of the order because it suits his game really well. I hope we don’t tinker around with that,” Pujara said on ESPNCricinfo.
Pujara also suggested that Shubman Gill bat at No. 5 after Virat Kohli, with wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant stepping in at No. 6 to avoid facing the new ball in the forthcoming pink-ball Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval, which begins on December 6.
He further noted, “Ideally No. 5. Because it allows him to come in at a time when, even if we lose two wickets early, he is someone who can negotiate the new ball. But if he walks in after, say, 25 or 30 overs, he can play his shots. He can play his natural game. And in case we lose the first three wickets early, Gill walks in and saves Rishabh Pant for the old ball. Pant doesn’t have to face the new ball. I wouldn’t want him to walk in to bat when the ball is hard and new.”
Pujara also wants India to go in with the same bowling attack featuring Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Washington Sundar, given their Perth dominance.
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