Ravi Shastri on how Rohit Sharma can rediscover his Test mojo

Shastri also provided his thoughts on what the experienced skipper needs to do to find his best form.

Rohit’s decision to bat lower in the order during the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series hasn’t delivered the results the India captain might have hoped for.

After missing the opening Test to be with his family for the birth of his second child, Rohit was expected to reclaim his spot at the top of the order.

However, KL Rahul’s impressive knock of 77 in India’s victory at Perth prompted a reshuffle, with Rohit moving down to No.6.

The change has yet to bear fruit, as Rohit managed scores of 10, three and six in his last three innings, while Rahul has capitalised on the opportunity, cementing his position at the top with a stellar 84 in the first innings at Brisbane in the third Test.

Speaking with host Sanjana Ganesan on the latest episode of The ICC Review, Shastri backed Rahul to retain the role as opener and also shared his thoughts on how Rohit could make an impact while batting lower down the order.

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“I would have asked him (Rohit) to open in the last Test match but then the way Rahul has batted, I mean he was a joy to watch and the way he's batting, I believe he struck a purple patch,” Shastri said.

“It could be a position he might just want to keep and enhance the way he's playing because his technique was faultless.

“The way he left the ball, the way he allowed the ball to come onto the bat, I mean some of his cover drives were as good as any played by anyone in world cricket at the moment. And so I think when there's that much confidence there, you know, let it be.

“I would like to see Rohit Sharma, his tactics change a bit because he can still be extremely dangerous at that number (six)."

Rohit is no stranger to batting at No.6 in Test cricket. In fact, he made his Test debut in 2013 in this position, marking the occasion with a century.

Before the Border-Gavaskar series, Rohit had batted 25 times at No.6, amassing 1037 runs at an impressive average of 54.57. However, the last time he played in that role was back in 2018, after which he firmly established himself as a Test opener.

Shastri suggested that Rohit should channel his white-ball mindset while batting at No.6, encouraging him to embrace the aggressive approach that has defined his success in limited-overs cricket.

“I think he's got to be very clear in his mindset to go out there and take the attack to the opposition and not worry about anything else,” Shastri said.

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“The last thing you want is him to be in two minds whether to defend or attack. In his case, it should be attack.

“He picks up length quickly, he should take the opposition on at that number. Because if he gets away in the first 10-15 minutes, in any way, he's not got past that 15-20 minutes, half an hour. So why don't you play a natural game, go and take the attack to the opposition and take it from there?

“Because I think that is his best way of not just coming back into form, winning a game for India as well. Because that number is a crucial number.

“The best No.6s in the world are the guys who know how to have the ability to counter-attack. They read the situation well. Yes, if a lot of wickets have fallen, maybe for a little while. You might have to be circumspect, but the intent has to be far sooner than later.

“Especially when you have that kind of ability and especially when you open the batting for India and you have all the shots for Australian conditions.”