Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh said that No.6 will be too low a batting position for the returning Rohit Sharma in the second Australia Test. The day-night Test will be played in Adelaide, starting on December 6 as well. Rohit missed the series opener at Perth due to the birth of his second child, which saw KL Rahul open the batting with Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Speaking to the PTI , Harbhajan Singh said, “I don’t see Rohit coming in at number five or six. Either Rohit will open with Yashasvi Jaiswal, with KL Rahul coming in at number three, or he will bat no later than number three. Number six for Rohit wouldn’t be in best interest of the team. Your top four in batting order should be the four pillars and someone like Rohit at the top would only add greater fillip,” he said.
Harbhajan Singh dismissed age being a factor for R Ashwin’s exclusion in the first Australia Test. In a surprising move, Team India went
with Washington Sundar in the first test, leaving out senior pros Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
“I don’t think 38 is old. He (Ashwin) is not a 58- year-old. But yes, after so many years, the shoulders do experience fatigue and wear and tear, so the zip can just be a bit less. Washington had showed during the New Zealand series that he is ready to take over the mantle from Ashwin in coming days,” said Harbhajan.
Harbhajan Singh also opened up on the ongoing issues regarding the Champions Trophy. He told Sports Today: “Don’t come to India if you don’t want to, we don’t have any issues. If Pakistan don’t come to India, it won’t matter much. You may ask current cricketers and they will have the same opinion. Had the situation in Pakistan been different, things could have been different. They were brilliant hosts when I went there. They did not charge us money for food whenever we went to the market, and some also gifted us shawls.”
“I feel bad for the viewers there that they don’t get to see champion players like Virat Kohli and others around the world. But they are not at fault. Until and unless the situation improves there, things won’t change,” Harbhajan said in the same interveiw. “Let the tournament happen, you can’t just halt it. You can’t hold on to your stubbornness. There are many countries who would love to host, be it Malaysia, Sri Lanka or any other nation. India won’t tour Pakistan until the situation improves there,” Harbhajan Singh concluded.
