'If he has to throw the first punch, that’s the best place from where he can do it' - Ravi Shastri suggests Rohit Sharma's ideal batting slot

Rohit Sharma has been struggling with the bat in the 2024-25 season as he is averaging a meagre 11.83 from 12 innings in the Test arena. Former India head coach Ravi Shastri feels that the 37-year-old will be able to reassert his authority and lead from the front if he returns to the top of the order.

The Indian captain opted out of the first Test against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 as he wanted to be with his wife during the birth of their second child. Rohit returned to the playing XI in the second Test but batted in the middle-order to allow the in-form pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul to continue at the top. However, the experienced campaigner didn't have a memorable outing as he was dismissed for single-digit scores in both innings.

Shastri suggested that Rohit should move back to the top of the order and throw the 'first punch' at Pat Cummins and Co. in the highly-anticipated third Test at the iconic Gabba in Brisbane, starting on Saturday, December 14.

“That’s where he’s been at his best over the last eight or nine years. It’s not that he’s going to set the world on fire – he could – but that’s the place that’s best for him. To lead from the front. If he has to do damage, if he has to throw the first punch, that’s the best place from where he can do it," Shastri told India Today.

Also Read: Rohit Sharma out of top 30 in ICC rankings after six years, Harry Brook replaces Joe Root as No. 1

Whoever wins in Gabba, wins the series: Ravi Shastri

The 62-year-old Shastri said he is quite sure that the team which wins the third Test will go on to win the five-match series.

"It is important that India get their judgment right here, because 1-1 in the series, this is the moving Test match. I feel whichever team wins this Test match will win the series. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind. So it is very, very important that India get the balance right, because Australia have got the confidence back,” said Shastri.

India won the first Test in Perth by 295 runs but the hosts bounced back with a victory in the second Test in Adelaide by 10 wickets to restore parity in the high-voltage series. Cricket aficionados are waiting with bated breath for the start of the third Test and they can sense the calm before the storm that's arriving.