Rohit Sharma to open at MCG; KL Rahul to bat at No.3: Reports

Team India are all set to make a major change at the top of the order for the fourth Test against Australia in Melbourne as skipper Rohit Sharma is reportedly pencilled in to open the batting, with the in-form KL Rahul likely to be pushed to No.3.

Times of India reports that Rohit will open the batting with Yashasvi Jaiswal while Rahul will take up Shubman Gill’s spot at No.3. Gill, according to the report, will move to No.6, which will mean an axing for Nitish Kumar Reddy, who averages 44.75 and is India’s third-highest run-getter in the series. 

Should the move materialize, it will come as a bit of a shock, mainly due to Rahul’s form and fluency while opening the batting. The right-hander is India’s highest run-getter this series with 235 runs and has been the best top-order batter across both sides. 

He began the series with scores of 26 & 77 in Perth, followed it up with a fighting 37 in the first innings in Adelaide, then played one of the best knocks of his career at the Gabba, posting a flawless 84 with the team’s back against its wall. That knock, in many ways, helped India save the rain-affected third Test, which was dominated by Australia.

In contrast, Rohit has been struggling all year, with his average since September reading a mere 11.69. He’s batted thrice in this series, all at No.6, and has registered scores of 3, 6 & 10. Moving up to face the new ball could prove an even tougher challenge for the out-of-form Indian skipper, who averages 13.22  - with nine dismissals - against faster bowlers since the start of the home season in September. 

Meanwhile, Gill’s speculated demotion might have to do with his struggles against the new ball outside Asia. The 25-year-old, in his last 16 innings outside the subcontinent, averages 17.8 and has no fifty-plus scores to his name. Each of these 16 innings has come in the top three.