The return of India's prodigal at No. 5

Mukul Kesavan on NDTV explains just why a certain Mr Sharma has to bat at five for India. That and other half-truths of Rohit Sharma's cricketing life in this satirical piece.

"Ashwin stayed where he was. Kohli and Rahane, India's two most reliable Test batsman, left their settled places in the batting order to vacate No 5 for the returning prodigal, Rohit Sharma. Sharma is a specialist batsman in a very special sense of that term: he can only bat at No 5. There was no question of him replacing Pujara at 3. The last time he batted at No 3 was last year in Galle, and he scored 9 and 4 in two completed innings. A total of 13 runs. It was a sign: 3 was an unlucky number for Rohit. KL Rahul can bat at No 3, Pujara can be made to open the innings, Kohli can be moved up the order, Rahane has to take what he's given, but Mistah Sharma? He jive at five."