Rohit Sharma did not play the first Test against Australia in Perth due to personal reasons but has joined the Indian team and will feature in the next match. It will be a day-night test. Meanwhile, India played a warm-up contest against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra.

Interestingly, India’s batting order was a talking point as Rohit Sharma, the Indian captain, did not come to open the innings, and the management persisted with the same opening pair (Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul) for the game.

The same pair enjoyed great success in the Perth Test and scored big, with Jaiswal playing a career knock of over 150. This indicates that the team could continue to open with Rahul and Jaiswal, with Rohit Sharma slotting into the middle order .

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Ideally, he should bat at no. his worth in strange conditions and deserves more opportunities before receiving a call.

What are Rohit Sharma’s statistics in the middle order in Test cricket?

It is worth mentioning that Rohit Sharma started his Test career as a middle-order batsman before being shuffled to open the innings. He started his Test career in 2013 and played in the middle order for about six years, where his numbers remained below par, especially away from home.

While batting at number 5 or below, Rohit has 1474 runs at an average of 43.35 in 41 Test innings, including nine fifties and three centuries. That average is significantly high given his home average of 96.12 in the middle order, but Rohit has failed to excel in other conditions in the middle order.

However, there is still merit in placing him in the middle order as he has previous experience playing in the league. Rohit has 187 runs at an average of 26.71 in eight outings, including a fifty, in the middle order on Australian soil.

It will be a pragmatic move if Rohit bats in the middle order as the opening combination seems settled. He can always return to the opening if this new pairing is not successful in the next few games, and KL Rahul will come in in the middle order.

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