Former BCCI coach Sarandeep Singh who delivered an all-rounder Washington Sundar with his first Test call-up of 2021, he asked Indian captain Rohit Sharma to make way for Shubman Gill to open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal after the Fazilka batsman failed to provide stability through his batting from number 3 in both entries from the first test. in Hyderabad.
Sarandeep Singh claimed that Rohit Sharma should bat at number 3 and let Shubman Gill face the new ball with Jaiswal as that could help Gill overcome his purple patch. After all, Gill is a recognized opener in all formats, but it was his wish to appear as a first-over batsman, something that has been implemented ever since. India’s 2 match test series in West Indies Last July.
“Shubman Gill is not a No. 3 player. In my opinion, he should open with Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma should bat at No. 3 in the second Test. Waiting for his turn to bat doesn’t help Shubman, it’s better for him to lead the inning. Rohit is a good spin player, so batting at number 3 shouldn’t worry him too much.” – said Sarandeep.
Since taking on the No. 3 role, Shubman Gill has struggled. The reach is so poor that the 24-year-old has not been able to even touch the 40-run mark, leaving aside the talk of scoring a half-century. His highest score as a first attempt batsman, home and away, has been 36, which he scored in the second Test in South Africa earlier this month.
Apart from that, Gill has become a shadow of his former self and suddenly hit rock bottom after experiencing a sensational 2023 calendar year in ODIs. Therefore, Sarandeep Singh believes it will be better for Gill to stop making such wishes and restart as an opener.
The former selector who played 3 Tests and 5 ODIs for India, further stated that India should not try to disintegrate the team combination after the first Test loss and believes that Washington Sundar has no chance of replacing Ravindra Jadeja in the playing despite being an almost man-to-man replacement and believes Kuldeep Yadav will be a better option.
“It’s pretty simple for me. Rajat Patidar replaces KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav replaces Jadeja. We don’t need to copy England and play with four spinners. Playing with two pacers and three spinners has been our strong point at home. We have to stick to it.” – Sarandeep concluded.
Is it time for Team India to allow Shubman Gill to open with Jaiswal and push Rohit Sharma to the No. 3 spot?
Going by the point Sarandeep Singh made about Shubman Gill coming back to open the innings with Jaiswal and pushing Rohit Sharma to 3, it may further deplete the performance of the batting order. The Rahul Dravid-led management is moving forward with a plan and it will not be a surprise if the results do not come immediately.
However, for Shubman Gill, it will be very important to hit the ground running in the second Test and get a good number of runs under his belt, otherwise he will face the scare of being eliminated during the remaining Tests after the Vizag one.