Indian captain Rohit Sharma, who is known for his humorous remarks in press conferences, delivered yet another memorable comment about batting positions ahead of the second Test match against South Africa. At the pre-match press conference on January, when questioned about Shubman Gill batting at no.3 instead of his usual opening spot, Rohit promptly expressed his view that choosing batting positions is a personal decision for each player.
He even humorously added that ever since he began as an opener, other positions in the batting order don't seem right to him.
"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 in the pre-match press conference.
Rohit went on to clarify that in scenarios where an opener is dismissed early or suffers an injury, the No. 3 batsman is required to come in sooner, essentially fulfilling a role similar to that of an opening batter.
"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.
While speaking on Shubman Gill's batting order, Rohit said, “Gill is very smart and understands his batting pretty well. He prefers that number, he has batted in Ranji Trophy around that position a fair bit. He has opened only in limited overs cricket and in Test cricket but that [No.3] was his preference. He feels he can do well for us at that position”.
Meanwhile, Rohit refrained from disclosing details about the playing XI or any possible alterations to the squad, but he did confirm that the team was free from injuries and all players were available for selection in the upcoming decisive match.
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