KL Rahul’s composure and brilliant technique while opening the innings in Perth convinced skipper Rohit Sharma to move himself down the order and “bat somewhere in the middle” in the day/night Test against Australia starting here on Friday.
The Indian captain said on Thursday he didn’t wish to tinker with a combination that brought the team success in the series opener of the five-match rubber which the visitors lead 1-0 following their 295-run win at Optus Oval.
Rahul looked solid with scores of 26 and 77 and added 201 runs with fellow opener and centurion Yashasvi Jaiswal in the second innings of the first Test.
“He (Rahul) will open the innings. I will play somewhere in the middle,” Rohit told reporters on the eve of the second Test.
The Indian skipper was both categorical and objective in his reply when asked about his hotly-debated batting slot after returning from a brief paternity break.
A team man to the core, the 37-year-old Rohit explained part by part the need for continuity.
“How I came to that decision of, you know, batting down the order is clearly, you know, we want results. We want success,” Rohit was categorical about his decision to take a step back after opening the innings for five years.
He was also objective about the rationale.
“Those two guys (Jaiswal and Rahul) at the top, just looking at this one Test match, they batted brilliantly. I was at home with my newborn (son Ahaan) in my arms and I was watching how KL batted.”
Rohit didn’t want to disturb Rahul but also said that the decision is based on current situation.
“It was brilliant to watch, to be honest. And I felt that there is no need to change that now. I don’t know, may be in the future, things will be different.”
Rahul has so far scored eight Test hundreds, and five of those tons have come in Australia, South Africa and England, and the skipper feels the Karnataka player is the most deserving to face the new ball.
“Based on what has happened and what KL has shown outside of India, you know, he probably deserves that place at this point in time. And, you know, it is something that has given us success in the first Test, to have that big partnership with Jaiswal on the other side.”
With the team getting 500-odd runs in the second innings besides a double-century opening stand, Rohit doesn’t want unnecessary tweaks which can become counter-productive.
“You know, when you come here in a place like Perth and you get 500 runs, it’s a massive tick to the box. So, I don’t see we need to change that.
“But what I saw from the outside looked brilliant. So, and there was no need to change anything. So, it was actually pretty simple for me.”
While Rohit waxed eloquence on the 32-year-old Rahul, he didn’t want to divulge the details of the conversation he had with the player.
“This is between me and him. It’s a personal matter. I can’t share it,” he said.
