KL Rahul's Plea to Rohit and Gambhir: 'Just Fit Me in the XI' before India vs Australia Day-Night Test

KL Rahul is keeping his cards close to his chest regarding his batting position in the upcoming day-night Test match against Australia at the Adelaide Oval. Despite knowing where he will bat, he has been advised by the team management to not reveal this information to the public. This secrecy is not uncommon in cricket, especially with the return of captain Rohit Sharma adding to the speculation surrounding Rahul's role in the team. After being left out of the last two Tests against New Zealand, Rahul was given the opportunity to open the batting in Perth in Rohit's absence on paternity leave. With questions surrounding his position in the lineup, Rahul is eagerly awaiting the chance to prove himself once again on the big stage.

He did a splendid job, scoring an invaluable 77 in the second innings to stitch India's first-ever 200-plus opening stand on Australian soil with opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal. He might have done something similar in the first innings if not for a dubious decision from the third umpire that cut his innings short after doing all the hard work.

But now that Rohit is back, the opening slot is supposed to go to him. Shubman Gill has also showed good signs of recovering in time to take the No.3 spot. Does that mean, Rahul once again slides down to No.6 after displaying a close to perfect manual for opening in overseas conditions? It seems so. But the Indian think tank wants to keep everyone guessing.

"I have been told (where I would bat), but I have also been told not to share it with you," Rahul told reporters with a big smile. His body language suggested he was calm and at peace with where he is at. That's what a good start to a big series can do to your confidence.

Contrary to the conflicting reports in the lead-up to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy regarding India's opening combination, captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir were quite sure about Rahul. The right-hander said he was informed even before landing in Australia that he was going to open in Perth in Rohit's absence.

"I was told quite early that I will be opening. I did not play the whole New Zealand series, didn't play the last two games. and I was told fairly early that I might get a chance to open the innings. I have enough time to prepare. It is something that I have done for a long time in my career. I just had to go back and practice a bit more. so I knew how I was going to get my runs and what processes I needed to follow. It helped me that I played a few practice games here. I opened for India A," Rahul said.

In his topsy-turvy career as an Indian cricketer, Rahul has done everything possible within his limits. Despite being a bona fide opener right throughout his career, Rahul adjusted to the middle-order's role like a duck to water. He even played as a specialist keeper in South Africa and scored one of the most memorable centuries by an Indian batter in SENA countries. Now, he just wants to be in the XI.

"I just want to be in the playing XI. Just fit me in. I wanna go out there and bat and play for the team. I just go there and try and see what I need to do to get runs in a particular situation. I want to keep my game as simple as I can. Luckily I have batted in different positions. Early on, when I was asked to bat at different positions, it was a bit of a challenge, mentally. How to play those first 20-25 balls? What shots can I play? How early can I attack? Those things were a bit tricky earlier, but now that I have played in different formats all over the world, it has gotten better. I know the importance of getting through those first 25-30 balls," he added.

It would be his first tryst with the pink ball, and Rahul, although has some trouble sighting the ball because of its different colour, said things should be fine with a few more practice sessions.

"This will be my first pink ball Test match. I don't have the game experience that some other players have in the team. It is just about speaking to the guys and getting to know what were the things that they found hard and how they managed to adjust and make changes. In practice, I felt that it was a little different in terms of how you watch this ball and pick it up from the bowler's hand."