India skipper Rohit Sharma on Tuesday spoke on Shubman Gill’s no. 3 batting position in the Test and said that it is an individual thing how one thinks about it. India will look to draw the series as they face South Africa in the second Test on January 3 at the Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Rohit revealed that he hated to come down at number three. According to the 36-year-old skipper, one has to open or wait till number 5 or 6 batting positions. However, Rohit also lightened up the mood by saying that once he started to open for India no other batting position seemed right.
“It is an individual thing as to how you think about certain batting positions. I personally hated batting at No. 3. That is my opinion on that. Either you open the batting or you wait and go a little down the order – No. 5 or 6. But since I have started opening the batting, from No. 3 onwards to No. 7, I do not think it is the right position for anyone,” Rohit said.
He further added that there is not much difference in the number one and three batting positions since if the opener gets injured in the first inning in the Test format then the number three has to open later. “Sometimes when the opener gets injured in the first innings, the No. 3 has to walk out and open the batting. So, I do not see much difference there,” he added.
Recapping the first Test match, it was completely dominated by South Africa. Rabada’s five-wicket haul put India on the back foot. KL Rahul played a counter-attacking knock of 101 but it was soon overshadowed by Elgar’s breathtaking 185.
On Day 3, Nandre Burger with his lethal bouncers and precise line and length pushed India’s batters back against the wall. A game that seemed to be headed for the fourth day was concluded on the third day itself. India batters were no match for South Africa pacers as the pace trio of Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Burger ran through India’s entire batting line-up.
Virat Kohli was the sole batter who knew how to churn out runs on a surface which proved to be too much for the rest of the batters. After a dismal start to their second innings, South Africa struck India hard by removing Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul in quick succession.
After Burger removed Ravichandran Ashwin for a golden duck, India’s fate was more or less sealed.
Jasprit Bumrah’s runout following a brilliant effort in the field by Dean Elgar caused a mood of dismay. A brilliant review from the South Africa team saw Mohammed Siraj gloving the ball straight to the wicketkeeper. Prasidh Krishna struggled hard but Jansen got the better of Kohli (76) which brought an end to India’s struggle within three days.
