India's captain Rohit Sharma addressed the media at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday, ahead of the second Test match against Australia. Sharma confirmed that he will be batting down the order in the upcoming pink-ball Test, with KL Rahul set to open the innings. Rohit, who typically opens, missed the first Test in Perth due to the birth of his second child. In his absence, Rahul contributed with a patient 26 in the first innings and a crucial 77 in a 201-run partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal.
"KL will open. His performance and the partnership with Jaiswal were key to our victory in the first Test," Rohit stated. "His batting outside India has been impressive, and he deserves this opportunity. I will bat somewhere in the middle order." Rohit emphasized that the decision, though personally challenging, was straightforward for the team's benefit.
While Rohit did not disclose the final XI, it is likely that Shubman Gill, returning from a thumb injury, will slot in at number three, pushing Rohit to five. Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel seem set to make way. The roles of veteran spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja remain uncertain after being omitted from the Perth Test.
Despite the confidence from their Perth win, Rohit acknowledged the challenges of playing with a pink ball under lights at Adelaide Oval. Australia has a perfect record in day-night Tests at the venue, including a dominant win over India in 2020. "The pink ball behaves differently from the red ball," Rohit noted. "We've been training with it for three days, and the more you play with it, the easier it gets. The challenges will be there, but we need to find our own way to handle it."
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