Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Hitman 3.0: Rohit Sharma gears up for Adelaide Test | Cricket News

Batting at number 4 in the pink-ball warm-up, India captain Rohit may be heeding the call of the hour Adelaide Test
As India prepared to take on the Prime Minister's XI in Canberra on Sunday, all eyes were on the opening games. If so Yashasvi Jaiswal And KL Rahulmakeshift duo who have settled in brilliantly in Perth, or would it be the returning captain? Rohit Sharma?
Rohit's recent struggle at the top of the order has been well documented – he managed just 91 in the six innings he played against New Zealand in India less than a month ago. More importantly, four of these dismissals came against pacers who were facing the new ball on spin-friendly surfaces.
Border Gavaskar Trophy
Rahul, on the other hand, had dulled the new ball beautifully in Perth and cricket fans were eager to see whether the captain, who is known to be extremely flexible for the team's cause, would be willing to demote himself.
Rohit did just that and if that is to be believed, we might see Rohit 3.0 – back in the middle order Pink ball test in Adelaide from Friday.
With Shubman Gill After recovering from his finger injury and scoring a superb batting performance of 50 before his retirement, it looks like the top four for India in Adelaide will be Rahul, Jaiswal, Gill and Virat Kohli.

However, on Sunday, after Rahul was out for 27, Rohit came in at number 4. He looked rusty, lasting just 11 balls before stealing one to the keeper from medium-pacer Charlie Anderson. That didn't stop India from winning easily by five wickets, but it was obvious that the captain needed some more time in the middle.
But the decision to demote himself at this point in his career – if he does so for Adelaide – will be a big step considering he achieved most of his success with the bat as an opener.
Rohit started his Test career in Kolkata as number 6 against the West Indies and scored a brilliant 177 on debut. But over the years he lost his way in the middle order and when the offer to start in the Tests came in 2019, he says he knew it that it would be his last chance.
“When I was asked to open 2019 (against South Africa in Vizag), I knew it would be my last chance to revive my Test career,” Rohit had later said after scoring a century.

As an opener, he looks much better with nine centuries in 37 Tests and an average of 44.01 than his results in the middle order where he has an average of 39.02. However, he has really struggled with the moving ball this season, and his ability to make many shots outside the off-stump – something that stood him in good stead in England – appears to have been affected.
Rahul, on the other hand, looked confident at the top of the order – even on Sunday, the way he handled the new pink ball was a real treat.
Devang Gandhi, a former India opener and national selector, feels Rohit should stick to the middle order as it avoids “unnecessary chopping and changing” given the brilliant start to the tour. “In fact, I think Rohit should go at number 6 because Rishabh pants“He has also done very well at 5…The left-right combination can also be maintained in this way,” Gandhi told TOI.
But would an adjustment be necessary if a player was asked to change his batting position at the end of his career?
“It becomes difficult when a middle-order batter tries to become an opener in the latter stages of his career. But it won't be difficult for an opener to finish in the middle order, especially for Rohit, who started at No. 1.” “6 batter for India,” Gandhi said.

If Rohit needs to look for a positive example, he might find one Sunil Gavaskarthe best opener whose highest score of 236 came against the West Indies in 1983 as No. 4 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
But then again, Rohit and the Indian team management are not taking calls based on past records. They live in the present and it currently seems that the call of the hour is for the captain to don the middle-order batter's cap on what is likely to be his final trip as a Test batter.