Cricket great Sunil Gavaskar on Tuesday said that Melbourne Test debutant Shubman Gill should bat at No 5 for India in the Sydney Test against Australia, with Rohit Sharma taking the opener’s slot and Hanuma Vihari sitting out.
Gill came in place of opener Prithvi Shaw in the second Test and impressed in both innings of India’s victory with scores of 45 and 35 not out. Fellow opener Mayank Agarwal had forgettable outings so far in the two Tests but Gavaskar said he should be given another chance.
“I would keep Mayank Agarwal for the next Test. I know he has not looked good so far but he is a quality player. I would open the batting with him and Rohit Sharma,” Gavaskar said after the Melbourne Test on air for broadcasters Sony.
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With Rohit finishing his quarantine in Sydney, there is a strong chance he will return to the playing XI for the third Test, despite the combination being a winning one.
Explaining his stand, Gavaskar added: “Despite the fact that Shubman Gill has done so well in this match, I’d look to bat him at No 5 in the third Test. For the simple reason that I’m not too sure that with his approach he would be too successful in the opener’s position.
“Also at the Under-19 level, if I recall correctly, he was batting down the order, he wasn’t opening the batting (Gill batted at No 3 for India in their victorious 2018 Under-19 World Cup campaign). So I think for Shubman Gill, batting at No 5 would be the ideal position. That would obviously mean that Hanuma Vihari goes out of the team and the rest remains unchanged.”
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