Rohit Sharma batting down the order a wise move? Ricky Ponting, Sunil Gavaskar pass no-nonsense verdict

India captain Rohit Sharma made a brave decision to move himself down the order in the batting line-up for the Adelaide Test. Rohit batted at No. 6 in the match to accommodate KL Rahul in the opening position.

However, the Indian captain had a poor outing and was dismissed for just 3 off 23 balls. After the end of the day's play, former cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Ricky Ponting gave their opinions on Rohit's decision to move down the order.

While Gavaskar was in favor of Rohit moving down to No. 6 in the batting order, Ponting feels that he should have been back at the opening spot. Ponting even feels that Rohit might bat at No. 6 for the rest of his Test career now.

Watch: Virat Kohli shows Nathan McSweeney his place with an aggressive sendoff

Sunil Gavaskar speaks on Rohit Sharma moving down the order

During a discussion on 7Cricket, Sunil Gavaskar was asked about Rohit Sharma being moved down the order. Gavaskar reasoned Rohit's move as the right one by saying that KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal had a good partnership in the last match in Perth.

He also claimed that Rohit was playing a Test match after more than a month and might have been rusty. Moreover, the ongoing Test is being played with a pink ball which wouldn't have made it easy for him to come and open straight away.

"Yes, because in the previous Test, they had a partnership of 200 between (KL) Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal. You don't want to break that because they had that momentum, they had that confidence and besides, Rohit Sharma hasn't played any serious cricket for more than a month. The last time he played for India was on November," Gavaskar said.

"So, it was required that he would be able to see what's happening. Pink ball is not easy to play. India hasn't play a pink-ball Test match for over two or three years. So, dropping himself down the order was to me a correct move," he added.

A discussion on whether Rohit should have batted at six or opened yesterday:

Gavaskar: "Dropping himself down the order was to me a correct move..."

Ponting: "I thought he should have come back into the side and opened..."#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/9ihyMPyQrf

— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 7, 2024

Ricky Ponting gives his opinion on Rohit Sharma at No. 6

Meanwhile, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting thought otherwise and felt that Sharma should have opened the batting in Adelaide. Ponting reckons that with Rahul and Gill performing exceptionally well, Rohit might have to stay at the No. 6 spot for the rest of his Test career.

"I would actually disagree with what Sunny (Sunil Gavaskar) said. I thought he should have come back into the side and opened because KL Rahul has been a fringe player around this side for a no. of years. Yes, he got his chance, played well in Perth," Ponting noted.

"But what that says to me is now Rohit Sharma is going to spend the rest of his career down the order because KL Rahul has played well, Shubman Gill looked good in the first innings. The only spot for Rohit Sharma in the side is going to be No. 6 and that might be where he stays for the rest of his career. But he is a class player to come back in," he added.

Rohit Sharma's recent form

Rohit Sharma has been going through a rough patch of form recently. The Indian captain had a disappointing time in the home Test season which involved the Tests against Bangladesh and New Zealand.

Rohit scored 91 runs in three Tests against New Zealand at an average of just 15.16. He missed the first Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to the birth of his second child but was back well in time before the Adelaide Test.