Captain Rohit Sharma demoted himself as KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal continued to open the batting for India in the pink-ball tour game against Australia’s Prime Minister’s XI at the Manukua Oval in Canberra on Sunday. Notably, Rohit was listed at No. 5 in India’s line-up for the pink ball warm-up game vs. the Prime Minister’s XI.
Rohit had missed the opening match in Perth last month due to the birth of his second child. He joined the Indian camp about a week ago, midway through the Border-Gavaskar Test series at the Optus Stadium. During that match, Jasprit Bumrah’s side secured a record 295-run victory, taking a 1-0 lead in the five-Test series.
India vs Prime Minister’s XI Day 2 Live
Rohit was expected to resume his role as an opener, which had been temporarily filled by KL Rahul during the Perth Test. However, Rahul made a strong case for himself with a valiant knock of 77 in the second innings. Alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, he forged a record-breaking 201-run opening stand, setting the stage for India’s second-ever win in Perth.
As the team prepares for the second Test at the Adelaide Oval—a pink-ball game—the main point of discussion has been where Rohit will bat, given Rahul’s impressive performance in Perth. In his career, Rohit has batted at No. 5 just 16 times, with his last stint in that position dating back to 2018. In those nine matches, he scored 437 runs at an average of 29.13, including three fifties. Notably, all those innings came outside India.
KONSTAS HITS HUNDRED
Nineteen-year-old Sam Konstas has made a strong case for selection after scoring a brilliant century for the PM’s XI in a practice game against India in Canberra. However, Harshit Rana was the star with the ball as he took a four-wicket haul to help India restrict the PM XI to 240. Konstas scored 107 runs off 97 balls, featuring 14 boundaries and one six.
The youngster’s innings stood out as the rest of the top-order struggled against the new pink ball, with Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep striking early in the fifth and sixth overs, respectively. Konstas found little support from his teammates but managed two notable partnerships: a 109-run stand for the fifth wicket with Jack Clayton and a 67-run eighth-wicket stand with Hanno Jacobs. Despite the challenging conditions, he took the game into his own hands, attacking the bowlers with a flurry of boundaries around the field and showcasing some unorthodox shots.
