K L Rahul said on Wednesday he will bat "wherever” as India face a conundrum in the second Test against Australia with the expected return of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill.The 54-Test veteran opened in the first Test at Perth, which India won by 295 runs, alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal in the absence of skipper Rohit, who stayed home for the birth of his second child.Number three Gill also missed the match with a thumb injury, but both are set to return for the day-night clash starting in Adelaide tomorrow, leaving selectors with a headache.Rahul and Jaiswal shared a 201-run second innings opening partnership in Perth that proved pivotal in securing victory with both again set to pad-up.Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel appear likely to make way for Rohit and Gill, but who bats where remains to be seen."I’ve been told, but I’ve also been told not to share it,” Rahul told reporters when asked if he knew what position he would be batting in Adelaide."I just want to be in the playing XI. Fit me in wherever. I want to go out there and bat and play for the team."Luckily for me I have batted in different positions,” he added."Whether I am batting top of the order or in the middle order, if I can manage the first 30-40 balls at start, everything then seems like regular batting, that’s what I try to focus on.”Rahul scored a patient 26 in the first innings in Perth then a solid 77 in the stand with Jaiswal, who slammed 161.While India head into the second match of the five-Test series full of confidence, they have less experience of pink ball cricket than Australia.And Adelaide has been a successful venue for the home side, who have won all seven day-night Tests they have played there, including against India in 2020-21 when the visitors were bundled out for 36.Adelaide pitch ‘bestin the world’Nathan Lyon, Australia’s premier spinner, has hailed the Adelaide Oval pitch as the ‘best cricket wicket in the world’ and expects plenty of spin in the upcoming day-night Test."I love Adelaide. Adelaide’s my favourite venue,” Lyon said on Wednesday. "I love playing cricket here. I think the whole atmosphere here with the crowds, the whole town, the whole city and then with the pitch here and the conditions here, I really enjoy bowling here for the spin and bounce. So red ball, pink ball, white ball. I just love playing cricket here,” Lyon said at the pre-match news conference."Red ball, white ball, pink ball, it is exactly the same. Not overly challenging."I think it is a great venue to play spin. I think what Damien (Hough, head curator) does here is he produces a great wicket that has got enough in it and it is challenging for both bat and ball,” he added."If you are good enough with the bat, you will score runs. If you are good enough with the ball, you will hopefully create a few chances along your way."So I think this is probably the best cricket wicket in the world, if I am being honest with you. So I am expecting it to be pretty helpful for spin and bowling as well,” Lyon said.
December 04, 2024 | 10:55 PM