Team India will take on Australia in the first of the four-match Test series in Nagpur on Thursday. Ahead of the clash there has been plenty of discussion on India’s playing XI, with many arguing Shubman Gill should be considered over KL Rahul, who is returning after a break due to personal reasons.
Gill is currently enjoying a purple patch, scoring centuries in all three formats in recent outings. But with both him and KL Rahul preferring to bat top of the order, the management faces a selection dilemma.
Sharing his views on the same, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar suggested that both should be part of the XI in the series opener. Gavaskar said Gill should open the innings alongside skipper Rohit Sharma, while Rahul should bat slightly down the order, bringing in more stability in the middle order.
“Shubman Gill is in sublime form and touch and so should be an automatic choice for the first Test match against Australia. There’s a catch there as the two established openers are the skipper Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul. So where can Gill be accommodated? Well, Rahul can bat down the order as he has had a mini break and would perhaps appreciate the little time that batting down the order gives you,” the former India cricketer told Midday.
Gavaskar also made another bold suggestion, stating Rahul should keep wickets instead of KS Bharat, who would be hoping for his maiden India cap having spent a significant time in Rishabh Pant’s shadow.
“If Shreyas Iyer is fit then it would be better if Rahul can keep wickets and also strengthen the middle order. Yes, it would be tough on KS Bharat who is waiting patiently to make his India debut, but team dynamics sometimes need bold calls to be taken by the team management and selectors. If Iyer is unfit then that could solve the dilemma for the captain and management.
“Iyer can’t be dropped after his superlative batting in Bangladesh where along with the ever gritty Ravichandran Ashwin he took India home from a precarious situation. India will need similar grit against the Australians,” he added.
