Captain Rohit Sharma will either open or bat at number three in the Adelaide Test against Australia, reckoned former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh on Monday while ruling out the possibility of a senior star coming in at number five or six. KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal added a record 201 runs for the opening stand during the second innings of the Perth Test, which the visitors won by 295 runs with plenty of time left in the match. “I don’t see Rohit coming in at number five or six. Either Rohit will open with Yashasvi Jaiswal, with KL Rahul coming in at number three, or he will bat no later than number three,” Harbhajan told PTI on the sidelines of the inauguration of the World Tennis League here.

“Number six for Rohit wouldn’t be in best interest of the team. Your top four in batting order should be the four pillars and someone like Rohit at the top would only add greater fillip.” The second Test, a day/night affair to be played with the pink ball, will begin at Adelaide Oval on Friday.

Harbhajan described the move to play Washington Sundar over R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the series opener as a massive step.

“Washington had showed during the New Zealand series that he is ready to take over the mantle from Ashwin in coming days,” the ‘Turbanator’ said.

When asked if Ashwin’s age is a factor, he said :”I don’t think 38 is old. He is not a 58- year-old. But yes, after so many years, the shoulders do experience fatigue and wear and tear, so the zip can just be a bit less.” Harbhajan also urged the officials of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to keep their egos aside and agree to the ‘Hybrid Model’ for the next ICC Champions Trophy, with India playing their matches in Dubai.

“Ask all players, they would say they are ready to play in Abu Dhabi or Dubai. In any case, we don’t see too many Indo-Pak games as such, and Pakistan should keep their ego aside and agree to the ‘Hybrid Model’.

“There is a security concern (for India) and I have been saying this since 2022,” he added.

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