Team Combination Gill at No3 Pant at No5 and Vihari at No6 could be way forward
New Delhi Feb 28 PTI Rohit Sharmas first Test as captain will also usher in a new era for Indias middle-order with Shubman Gill and Hanuma Vihari all set to become long-term replacements of veterans Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane It is now clear that Rahane and Pujara wont be called for the three Tests this season two against Sri Lanka and one away game against England where Vihari and Gill along with Shreyas Iyer as back-up will be the options There are two vacant spots from the last Test that India played in Cape Town and as Virat Kohli plays his 100th Test at Mohali the three youngsters will be preparing for a long haul in the spots vacated by the two veterans after having made those their own for a decade But the bigger question is who will be the one left out if all three are fit going into the first Test starting March 4 Since Gill is raring to go head coach Rahul Dravid will perhaps like to use him as a middle-order batter who can also be an enforcer if the situation demands There is a distinct possibility that Gill might be used at number three behind Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal I believe Shubman is Indias best bet at number three Yes he has opened but Mayank is there alongside Rohit and Shubman has the game to bat at that number former national selector and Test opener Devang Gandhi told PTI Gandhi who was the national selector till January 2021 also said that Gill was initially being prepared for a middle-order role before he made his Test debut as an opener in Australia Why I feel the team management might be inclined to try him at No3 is because when we fast-tracked him into India A system he had a double hundred in the middle-order against West Indies A in West Indies Also having already opened in Tests as No3 he can also play the new ball well and start moving the game with his repertoire of strokes You dont want to get bogged down and with Gill he can start pushing the envelope Gandhi explained While Rahane was primarily a number five batter there is a possibility that Dravid and Rohit might be inclined to use Vihari at No6 and send the dangerous Rishabh Pant at No5 for variation If you see our top-order Mayank Rohit Shubman and Virat are all right handers Its better if at No5 we have a left-hander to get the left-right combination going followed by Vihari at No6 and Ravindra Jadeja again a left-hander at No7 It could be the way forward Gandhi feels But what could be the rationale of using a player like Vihari at No6 and not at No3 as his technique is closer to that of Pujara who used to blunt the new ball Firstly Vihari has played only one Test at home and he above everyone else deserves a fair run Secondly if you see for India and India A he has batted at No5 abroad but in India he can come in at No6 when spinners will be in operation and the SG Test ball becomes relatively old Vihari has a fantastic record against spinners in Ranji Trophy and thats something the team management can exploit he felt So where does it leave Iyer who scored a hundred on debut Perhaps he would need to wait He isnt Rohit and Dravids first choice as both Gill and Vihari played Test cricket before him and are currently ahead in the pecking order But if anyone reports unfit he is certainly going to be the next in line Possible Team Combination Rohit Sharma captain Mayank Agarwal Shubman Gill Virat Kohli Rishabh Pant wk Hanuma Vihari Ravindra Jadeja Ravichandran Ashwin fitnessJayant Yadav Jasprit Bumrah Mohammed Shami Mohammed Siraj PTI KHS PM PM PM
New Delhi Feb 28 PTI Rohit Sharmas first Test as captain will also usher in a new era for Indias middle-order with Shubman Gill and Hanuma Vihari all set to become long-term replacements of veterans Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane It is now clear that Rahane and Pujara wont be called for the three Tests this season two against Sri Lanka and one away game against England where Vihari and Gill along with Shreyas Iyer as back-up will be the options There are two vacant spots from the last Test that India played in Cape Town and as Virat Kohli plays his 100th Test at Mohali the three youngsters will be preparing for a long haul in the spots vacated by the two veterans after having made those their own for a decade But the bigger question is who will be the one left out if all three are fit going into the first Test starting March 4 Since Gill is raring to go head coach Rahul Dravid will perhaps like to use him as a middle-order batter who can also be an enforcer if the situation demands There is a distinct possibility that Gill might be used at number three behind Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal I believe Shubman is Indias best bet at number three Yes he has opened but Mayank is there alongside Rohit and Shubman has the game to bat at that number former national selector and Test opener Devang Gandhi told PTI Gandhi who was the national selector till January 2021 also said that Gill was initially being prepared for a middle-order role before he made his Test debut as an opener in Australia Why I feel the team management might be inclined to try him at No3 is because when we fast-tracked him into India A system he had a double hundred in the middle-order against West Indies A in West Indies Also having already opened in Tests as No3 he can also play the new ball well and start moving the game with his repertoire of strokes You dont want to get bogged down and with Gill he can start pushing the envelope Gandhi explained While Rahane was primarily a number five batter there is a possibility that Dravid and Rohit might be inclined to use Vihari at No6 and send the dangerous Rishabh Pant at No5 for variation If you see our top-order Mayank Rohit Shubman and Virat are all right handers Its better if at No5 we have a left-hander to get the left-right combination going followed by Vihari at No6 and Ravindra Jadeja again a left-hander at No7 It could be the way forward Gandhi feels But what could be the rationale of using a player like Vihari at No6 and not at No3 as his technique is closer to that of Pujara who used to blunt the new ball Firstly Vihari has played only one Test at home and he above everyone else deserves a fair run Secondly if you see for India and India A he has batted at No5 abroad but in India he can come in at No6 when spinners will be in operation and the SG Test ball becomes relatively old Vihari has a fantastic record against spinners in Ranji Trophy and thats something the team management can exploit he felt So where does it leave Iyer who scored a hundred on debut Perhaps he would need to wait He isnt Rohit and Dravids first choice as both Gill and Vihari played Test cricket before him and are currently ahead in the pecking order But if anyone reports unfit he is certainly going to be the next in line Possible Team Combination Rohit Sharma captain Mayank Agarwal Shubman Gill Virat Kohli Rishabh Pant wk Hanuma Vihari Ravindra Jadeja Ravichandran Ashwin fitnessJayant Yadav Jasprit Bumrah Mohammed Shami Mohammed Siraj PTI KHS PM PM PM
