Shift to No.6 the major reason behind Rohit Sharma's poor form: Cheteshwar Pujara

Veteran Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara has opened up on Rohit Sharma's poor form in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 and has pointed out his batting position shuffle from opening the batting to the middle order. According to Pujara, this move has not only disrupted Rohit's momentum but has also created doubt in his batting approach.

Rohit, typically a dependable opening batter, has been struggling to find his rhythm in this series. The shift to number six in the batting order came after Rohit missed the first Test in Perth due to personal reasons. KL Rahul, who opened in Rohit's absence, performed well enough to retain his position at the top even as Rohit returned to the XI in the second Test. However, the adjustment has shown disappointing results for Rohit.

In the ongoing third Test in Brisbane, Rohit managed only 10 runs off 27 balls before edging a Pat Cummins delivery to the wicketkeeper in the first innings. Pujara spoke about the dismissal and gave his take on it.

“It wasn’t a length where you can drive. We have seen that even a fuller-length ball is hard to drive. He kind of tried to punch that ball. He should have defended that ball and allowed the ball to come to him rather than going for that ball. And I think the tough part is he hasn’t been amongst runs and that’s where the pressure is. He has been opening the innings, now he’s batting at number 6," Pujara said on Star Sports.

Also Read: Watch: Rohit Sharma's misery with bat continues in Brisbane

Doesn’t help you suddenly start batting at number 6: Cheteshwar Pujara

Rohit's returns in the series so far have been alarming. After missing the Perth Test, he has scored just 19 runs across three innings, including a mere nine in the Adelaide Test. His struggles were also visible during the recent home series against New Zealand, where the right-handed batter managed only 91 runs across three matches.

"That is for the team, but I still feel that when you are so much used to opening the innings and when you have to wait, then you put yourself in that doubt. I mean, it doesn’t help you when you’re opening innings and you suddenly start batting at number 6. So that you don’t get that momentum either," Pujara added

Meanwhile, India's batting lineup has been under immense pressure against the Australian bowling attack led by Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood. The middle-order instability has made the visiting team overly reliant on KL Rahul who has been the only top-order batter in form.

While the team management's decision to retain KL Rahul as an opener is understandable given his form, Rohit's struggles raise serious questions about the balance of the Indian batting lineup. Reverting Rohit to his familiar opening slot might seem like the logical solution, but that risks disrupting Rahul's momentum.