Captain of Indian National Cricket Team Rohit Sharma revealed whether batting superstar Virat Kohli is forced to bat at No. 3 position in Test cricket in the first match against the New Zealand National Cricket Team.
First test of three matches series The first day between India and New Zealand started after a washout at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday, October 17.
Virat Kohli bats at number 3 after a gap of 8 years
India were forced to make a big change to their playing XI for the first Test against the Kiwis as star prospect Shubam Gill was ruled out with a stiff neck.
To replace Shubman Gill He brought the leadership of the Indian team to the team Sarfaraz Khan. However, the young man was not given the number 3 position of Gill.
Many expected KL Rahul to bat at number 3 due to his ability to play anywhere in the batting order. But after Rohit Sharma’s dismissal, Virat Kohli came into the fray.
For the first time since 2016, Kohli has batted in this position in Test cricket. The last time Kohli batted in Test cricket was against the West Indies National Cricket Team at No.3.
Kohli had a memorable outing with the bat against the BlackCaps as he took a 9-ball duck before being dismissed by pacer William O’Rourke.
Rohit Sharma Unveils Virat Kohli’s Sudden No.3 Pass in Test Cricket”
Rohit Sharma attended the press conference after Day 2 of the first Test of India vs New Zealand and was asked about the change in Virat Kohli’s batting position.
The Indian skipper revealed that despite knowing Kohli’s poor record at No. 3 in his previous six Test innings, they wanted Kohli to replace Gill, where he scored just 97 runs at an average of 19.40.
Rohit Sharma said Kohli is up for the challenge and added that experienced players should take on extra responsibility in the team and youngsters like Sarfaraz Khan should be given time to settle into the position where they usually bat.
“Experienced players are the ones who have to take on that extra responsibility and this time it was Virat. He was ready to do it (bat at No. 3),” Rohit Sharma said.
“We asked him if he could handle No. 3 because Sarfaraz (Khan) … we want to give Sarfaraz a position where he can usually be four and five and six.”
We didn’t want to change Rishabh and KL Rahul and so Sarfaraz went at four – Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma then stated that they do not want to change their batting position Rishabh pants and especially KL Rahul and hence sent Sarfaraz Khan to Kohli’s No.4 spot. He elaborated:
“But we didn’t want to change Rishabh and KL (Rahul) and so Sarfaraz went at four and Virat batted at three.
“Actually, it’s a good sign, we’ve got players coming in, taking that responsibility and tackling the challenge. This is a good sign. After a long time, KL has found himself at number 6, so we want to keep him there.”
