Former India head coach Ravi Shastri backed captain Rohit Sharma's decision to bat in the middle order during the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, he urged the 37-year-old to return to the opening position in the upcoming Gabba Test, citing a significant concern.

Rohit Sharma missed the series opener in Perth due to the birth of his second child, with KL Rahul stepping into the opening role. Rahul impressed with a gritty 77, forming a record 201-run partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal. To maintain this successful opening combination, especially after Rahul regained form following his exclusion from the New Zealand Test series in late October, Rohit opted to bat at No. 6 in the Adelaide Test.

However, while Rahul continued his consistent performances, Rohit struggled, managing only 3 and 6 in his two innings during the second Test.

After India’s 10-wicket defeat in the pink-ball Test, Ravi Shastri criticized Rohit Sharma's "subdued body language," attributing it to his struggles with the bat. Shastri urged Rohit to return to his regular opening position, suggesting that KL Rahul could shift to the No. 6 role in the batting order.

"That’s the reason I want him at the top. That’s where he can be aggressive and expressive. Just thought he was a little too subdued, just seeing his body language. The fact that he didn’t make runs, I don’t think there was enough on the field there. I just wanted to see him more involved, and a little more animated. You still have to believe that you can bounce back in this series. You have seen with these two teams, that the counter-punch is almost immediate. It’s happened over the last 10 years. You lose one, you win the next, but you have to have the belief," Shastri said.

"It would mean Rahul would go back to the middle order. But that’s what he was going to do if Rohit Sharma had started from the first Test itself," he added.