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Ahead of the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at MCG, former India's head coach Ravi Shastri has advised the out-of-form Rohit Sharma to adopt a more aggressive approach when batting at number six. Instead of playing defensively, Shastri wants Rohit to attack the opposition bowlers. With the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-2025 final spot at stake, Shastri has also recommended Rohit's optimal batting position for the upcoming Tests against Australia. Rohit is going through a lean patch with the bat and is yet to click in the ongoing series against Australia. He was dismissed cheaply for mere 10 runs in the Adelaide Test which ended in a draw. So far in a total of three outings, Rohit has scored just 19 runs in the series.
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Ravi Shastri offers solution to Rohit Sharma's lean patch
Rohit's decision to bat lower in the order during the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series didn't auger well for him. However, with KL Rahul currently in excellent form, it's unlikely that he will be dropped from the opening slot.
Shastri although backed Rahul's batting order as an opener, rather has offered his advice to Rohit maximize latter's impact while batting down the order.
“I would have asked him (Rohit) to open in the last Test but then the way Rahul has batted, I mean he was a joy to watch and the way he's batting, I believe he struck a purple patch," Shastri said in the recent episode of ICC Review.
“It could be a position he (Rahul) might just want to keep and enhance the way he's playing because his technique was faultless," Shastri added.
Rohit Sharma's Test career began at number six, where he scored a century on debut 11 years ago. Prior to the current Border-Gavaskar series, Rohit had batted 25 times at this position, amassing 1037 runs at an impressive average of 54.57. However, he hasn't batted at number six in a Test match for six years, having established himself as a successful Test opener.
“I think he's got to be very clear in his mindset to go out there and take the attack to the opposition and not worry about anything else. The last thing you want is him to be in two minds whether to defend or attack. In his case, it should be attacking," Shastri concluded.
Meanwhile, Australia have announced their squad for the fourth and fifth Test against India. Josh Hazlewood and Nathan McSweeney have been excluded from the last two Tests, while Jhye Richardson and Sam Konstas have been included to Australia's fold. Meanwhile, Beau Webster has also been added to Australia's squad for the final two Tests against India.
Australia's squad for final two Tests against India:
Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Travis Head (vc), Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster.
