IND vs AUS: Rohit or Rahul? Who will open for India in the Adelaide Test

KL Rahul sent shockwaves through the Indian team management when he added 201 for the first wicket in the second innings of the Perth Test with Yashasvi Jaiswal

The return of captain Rohit Sharma to the squad for the second Test of the ongoing India vs Australia Test series in Adelaide has put the team management in a healthy dilemma over who should open the innings for India in the second Test. While Yashasvi Jaiswal has secured his spot in the opening role with his strong recent performances, the two players involved in this invisible tug-of-war are skipper Rohit Sharma, whose natural batting position is as an opener, and KL Rahul, who opened with Jaiswal in the first Test in Perth during Rohit's absence and stitched a record-breaking 200-plus stand for the first wicket in the second innings to help India win the match.

 

 

New partners in town

 

Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul opened the innings for India for the first time in Perth. Their first partnership did not last long, as they only added five runs before Mitchell Starc sent Jaiswal back into the dugout on a duck. However, they turned the tables in the second innings, adding 201 runs for the first wicket to set the stage for India to win the match and take the lead in the series.

 

These two once again took the field together during India’s tour game against Prime Ministers XI in Canberra. They added 75 runs for the first wicket, making the case that with momentum on their side, they should continue to open the innings in Adelaide as well.

 

Record vs Momentum

 

While the current momentum might make KL Rahul pair up with Jaiswal in Adelaide, the records lean towards Rohit Sharma, who has opened the innings with Jaiswal 26 times so far in Test cricket and has added 1,236 runs at an average of 47.43. They also have three 100s and five 50s partnerships for the first wicket for India in Test cricket.

 

Where could Rohit play if he does not open?

 

If Rohit Sharma decides to leave his opening spot for KL Rahul, he might be seen batting at number five, as Shubman Gill is doing wonders at number three, and the number four spot is reserved for Virat Kohli. However, in a completely different scenario, Rohit might decide to bat at number three, with Gill demoted to number five. 

 

Experts’ choice

 

As per the announcement by team management ahead of the Perth Test, KL Rahul was supposed to be a makeshift opener and was expected to return to his number five spot once Rohit returned. However, Cheteshwar Pujara and Harbhajan Singh, while agreeing with the team management's mindset of keeping them as openers, are not great fans of Rahul being sent back to number five. They want Rahul to take the number three spot and ask Shubman Gill to come in at number five in Adelaide.