Ahead of the Boxing Day Test, India skipper Rohit Sharma on Tuesday dismissed fears about the knee injury he suffered during practice, saying it was fine, while keeping the suspense over his batting position. Rohit had got hit on the left knee during the training session at the MCG on Sunday and there was speculation about the seriousness of the injury. “My knee is fine,” said Rohit during a media interaction ahead of the fourth Border-Gavaskar Test here from December 26.
Rohit missed the opening Test Down Under to be with his family for the birth of his second child. He was expected to reclaim the opener’s spot but KL Rahul’s impressive 77 in India’s win at Perth prompted a rejig of the batting order with the skipper moving down to No.6.
The change though has not been fruitful for Rohit as he has managed 10, 3 and 6 runs in the last three innings, while Rahul has encashed on the opportunity by notching up a fine 84 in the first innings at Brisbane in the third Test.
The skipper said, he would do whatever is best for the team.
“Let’s not worry about who bats where. Something that we need to figure and not something I would be discussing here. We will do what is best for the team,” Rohit said.
On Kohli’s form, and his supposed shortcoming outside off-stump, Rohit said, the stalwart will find a way out of the slump.
“Kohli’s off stump… you only say modern day great. Modern-day greats figure out their own path,” said the skipper.
Kohli scored a century in the second innings of the Perth Test, which India won after being dismissed for 150 in the first essay.
However, he was dismissed for 7 and 11 in the second Test, which Australia won by 10 wickets to level the series, while in the drawn third Test at Brisbane he made 3.
Young Yashasvi Jaiswal has failed to fire following his match-winning 161 in the first Test but Rohit said he will be encouraged to play his natural free-flowing game.
“You don’t want to tamper Jaiswal’s mindset. He understands his batting more than anyone of us. You encourage him to play freely.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
