CHENNAI: As India won the toss and opted to bowl in what was a mutually-agreed 50-over a side pink ball encounter against Prime Minister XI in Canberra on Sunday, there was one significant change in the line-up. Rohit Sharma, the Indian captain and regular opener who missed the first Test in Perth, was slotted at No 5 in the team sheet instead of the top.
Since the success in Perth and the stability KL Rahul has shown alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, whether Sharma should walk in as an opener or not has been a raging debate. Conventionally, Sharma slots right back in his position while Rahul, as expected, would have been moved back to the middle-order with Dhruv Jurel missing out.
After all, Sharma has two centuries to show this year, both against England, and Rahul has been a middle-order batter for a while. Even at the start of the home season, head coach Gautam Gambhir had reiterated that Rahul would be in the middle order. But with the circumstances changing, India turned to Rahul's experience at the top in the absence of Sharma for the first Test.
And Rahul came to the party with two patient knocks of 26 and 77 while looking the most comfortable batter in the middle. With that and Sharma's recent dip in form in the home season, there are doubts as to whether India should change the successful opening combination to accommodate the captain.
Sharma, who became a Test opener in 2019, has been one of the best batters in the format for more than four years. Since he became an opener and till the end of 2023, Sharma led the batting charts for India in the longest format and was the third-highest run-getter among openers in the world. He even started 2024 with two centuries in the five-match series against England. However, since the Bangladesh series in September, Sharma averages 13.30 in ten innings while getting out in single digits six times. What seemed all the more concerning is the fact that he was outdone by seamers on Indian pitches.
In the last couple of years, Sharma had significantly altered his batting technically to suit the needs of the white-ball game, where he transformed the way India bat and build an innings. His proactive approach proved dividends as India cruised to the final of the ODI World Cup in 2023 before going on to win the T20 World Cup this year. That being said, whether it had an impact on the way he bats in red-ball cricket is a question only Sharma can answer.
After the loss against New Zealand, when Sharma was asked if he doesn't trust his defence as much as he used to, he had said: "I don't see that I have lost faith in my defence. It's just that I need to spend more time defending balls, which I haven't done in this series. I accept that I haven't batted well in this series.
But it's been only these two series where I have not had enough time in the middle. As you grow, you try and evolve, and I am trying to evolve as a batter as well to try and see what else I can do. So, in that, there is a chance that you can fall on the other side of it, which clearly I have. So, I will relook at my game and see what best I can do."
On Sunday, as Rahul and Jaiswal walked out to chase the target of 241, one thing seemed clear. India have not ruled out the option of making Sharma bat in the middle. The Indian captain came to bat at No 4 — Virat Kohli did not bat — adding to the debate. He batted eleven balls, defended, awkwardly swiveled, ducked for a bouncer, left a half-volley outside off-stump before chasing the next one.
The ball from Charlie Anderson took the outside edge and Oliver Davies did the rest at first slip. Sharma — 3 (11) read the scoreboard. Which brings one back to the argument of Sharma batting in the middle-order. While it is true that he could be dangerous at No 5, taking the attack to Australia, his past record indicates otherwise.
From the time he debuted against West Indies in 2013 till October 2019, Sharma was shuffled through the batting line-up in every position possible. Knowing what he was capable of if he gets going, the Indian team wanted him to work. In Sharma's defence, he never got a long rope at a single position, but it had been an up and down ride.
There were days where he batted like a dream and then there were other occasions when he got out chasing a nothing delivery wide outside the off-stump or trying to slog a spinner into the stands. After he became an opener, Sharma transformed his game to suit the needs of the format. He became a textbook opener who leaves as many balls as he can while curbing his attacking instincts early in the contest. And it gave him all the success there is.
Unlike the past, the ball is in Sharma's court now. As a captain, it is his decision. Yes, he is a better cricketer and captain now and has all the experience in the world, but that doesn't necessarily assure him success should he decide to bat in the middle-order at Adelaide. However, if he does, it would be a tactical decision for the team, but as a batter, he would be making a sacrifice that is not common in Indian cricket. The 37-year-old would be giving up his strengths this late into his career and maybe will have to adjust his technique accordingly all over again. Will Sharma take the plunge? Will it work if he does? Only time will tell.
Brief scores: Australia PM XI 240 in 43.2 ovs (Konstas 107, Jacobs 61, Clayton 40; Rana 4/44, Akash Deep 2/58) lost to India 257/5 in 46 ovs (Gill retd 50 n.o, Rahul retd 27 n.o, Jaiswal 45, Reddy 42, Jadeja 27, Washington 42 n.o).
