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Indian stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane has confirmed that star batsman Rohit Sharma will be opening the batting for Team India in the third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
The 33-year-old will provide some much-needed solidity at the top of the order for the visitors and will look to create an instant impact.
Rohit Sharma had picked up a hamstring injury during the IPL 2020 season. Although he made a comeback and led the Mumbai Indians to their fifth IPL title, he was not fully fit. Thus, he was rested from the limited-overs leg of India's tour of Australia.
After undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), Rohit completed his 14-day mandatory quarantine in Australia and is set to play in the SCG Test.
Rohit Sharma has had a brilliant start to life as a Test opener as he scored 556 runs in five Tests at an unbelievable average of 92.66. He also has three Test centuries to his name at the top of the order.
Thus, in the pre-match video conference, Ajinkya Rahane revealed that the stylish batsman will continue to open for the visitors.
"Firstly, we all are excited to have Rohit back, his experience at the highest level matters a lot. He is batting really well in the nets, he has had 7-8 sessions, he started practicing in Melbourne as soon as he arrived there after the end of the second Test. He has been batting really well, the last couple of series, he has been playing as an opener, so you will definitely see him batting at the top,"Ajinkya Rahane said.
Ajinkya Rahane heapes praise on Ravindra Jadeja's contribution in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Ajinkya Rahane believes all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was the unsung hero of Team India's emphatic eight-wicket win at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
While Rahane deserved all the accolades for his brilliant hundred in the first innings, Jadeja also had chipped in with a crucial half-century.
The all-rounder also picked up crucial wickets in the second innings to ensure the visitors were not set a huge target.
Ajinkya Rahane is extremely pleased with Jadeja's contributions to the Indian team so far in the ongoing Test series. He also praised the way the southpaw has managed to upgrade his batting to the next level.
"Ravindra Jadeja has been really good, especially with his bat. As a batsman he has improved a lot in the last two years," Ajinkya Rahane asserted.
The addition of Rohit Sharma will only strengthen the Indian batting that is high on confidence after their performance at the MCG.
The Aussies, on the other hand, will be hopeful that their potential new opening pair of David Warner and Will Pucovski would provide solidity to their batting that has looked brittle so far.
In the visitors' bowling department, Navdeep Saini is set to make his Test debut at SCG. The tall fast bowler has impressed one and all with his pace in white-ball cricket. He will be looking to create an impact under the able leadership of Ajinkya Rahane.
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