The India Cricket Team will be determined to shake off their 1st Test defeat against New Zealand. And a major move can see Shubman Gill rejoining the squad while KL Rahul paves the way. Gill missed the 1st Test match in Bengaluru with a stiff neck. But now the young batter is gearing up as confirmed by Rohit Sharma.
After India’s loss, Shubman Gill immediately padded up and started toiling hard in the nets. He is ready to make his way back in India Playing XI for the IND vs NZ 2nd Test in Pune.
No chance for KL Rahul
Luck plays a huge factor in Team selection and on-field performances and that has been the case. Sarfaraz Khan redeemed his first innings duck with a mind-blowing 150-run knock. On the other hand, KL Rahul after his first innings duck, could only manage to score 12 runs.
In an innings where India needed all their batters to fire, KL Rahul became a rare expectation. The pace of the innings was set with Sarfaraz and Pant firing from both sides, but KL Rahul couldn’t carry on and that triggered India’s lower-order collapse.
With Gill making a comeback, KL Rahul has to move away. Because, with his 150-run knock, Sarfaraz has all but sealed his place in the team.
With Gill returning to the side, means he will slot in at his number 3 role. On the other hand, Sarfaraz Khan now will have to bat either at 5 or 6 depending on the game and circumstances whether Pant needs to come to bat early or not.
With 1-0 down in the series, India won’t be going down without a fight. In fact, Rohit Sharma and Co will be ready to bring the fight to the Kiwis in Pune. With this series serving as a buildup for the Border Gavaskar Trophy, India needs to fire on all cylinders to maintain their momentum before traveling to Australia.
