India’s batting coach Abhishek Nayar has made a major revelation on the team’s batting position with skipper Rohit Sharma set to return to the opening spot in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Nayar, after Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test spoke to the broadcasters and media as he confirmed the news of Rohit’s batting position in the Boxing Day Test against Australia. This will mean KL Rahul is likely to drop into the middle order.
“Rohit will come up in the order and more likely than not he will open the innings for us,” Nayar said to the reporters on Thursday.
“I feel for Shubman but he understands. He’s not really dropped, just couldn’t find his way in the combination,” Nayar said.
The Indian skipper skipped the opening Test match in Perth due to paternity leave before returning to the side for the pink-ball contest in Adelaide. However, an impressive show with the bat from Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul in the opener’s position saw Rohit drop to the middle-order, a position he has been familiar with.
However, Jaiswal and Rahul have been inconsistent in their roles at the top, so the Indian team management has now decided to move the latter into the middle order.
Playing on Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Sam Konstas made headlines with a 52-ball fifty. He was in good form for the hosts having become the youngest opener for Australia in Test history. On debut, he scored 60 runs before being dismissed. The Aussie top-order was seen in top form with out-of-form Usman Khawaja (57) and Marnus Labuschagne (72) scoring respective fifties.
Steven Smith (68) is unbeaten for the hosts alongside skipper Pat Cummins (6) as they closed the day at 311/6 in 86 overs.
