India captain Rohit Sharma has confirmed Yashasvi Jaiswal will make his Test debut in IND vs WI 1st Test. But who goes down from his opening slot? It’s Shubman Gill who will have to sacrifice to take the No 3 slot. Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid want Shubman Gill as the long-term successor of Cheteshwar Pujara. India vs West Indies 1st Test begins on Wednesday, July 12 at Windsor Park, Dominica.
“Gill himself wants to play at No 3. He spoke to Rahul bhai about it as he has done well at No 3 & 4 in the last in domestic cricket. It also helps as we will get left-right opening combination,” Rohit Sharma said.
In the 2-day practice game, Jaiswal scored 54 off 76 to make a statement of sorts. Furthermore, with most of the top-order batters retired after facing 50 deliveries, Dravid and Rohit wanted Jaiswal to carry on, hinting at an imminent debut.
“We have been desperate for a left-hander opener. Let’s hope, Yashasvi performs well for the team and makes that spot his own,” Rohit added.
Also Read: Yashasvi Jaiswal set to make India debut in 1st Test vs West Indies
What happens to Shubman Gill?
In Team India’s shuffling game, Shubman is the new puzzle. He can open and can bat at No 3, No 4 and No 5. While the idea was to groom Shubman as a long-term successor of Cheteshwar Pujara or Ajinkya Rahane in the middle order, KL Rahul’s struggle and the two veterans’ return to form forced a change in plan.
Now, it’s Shubman Gill who is being groomed as the successor of Pujara at No 3. That leaves Team India with the only option: send Yashasvi Jaiswal to open with Rohit.
The other reason to push Shubman down is Virat Kohli’s shaky Test form. Even against an Indian bowling attack, Kohli continued to struggle in the “corridor of uncertainty”. He lacked footwork and gave away a catch at a local fielder in the first slip. It was Jaydev Unadkat who planned Kohli’s downfall.
With that sort of struggle on any track with some assistance from bowlers, the Indian middle-order has more often than not come under pressure. Shubman Gill with his skills to bat in any conditions and at any pace gives the team management a boost.
With Shubman at No 3, Kohli can play a little freely before Ajinkya Rahane takes charge of the middle order at No 5.
Likely India Playing XI vs WI 1st Test
- Rohit Sharma
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Shubman Gill
- Virat Kohli
- Ajinkya Rahane
- KS Bharat/Ishan Kishan
- Ravindra Jadeja/ Axar Patel
- Ravichandran Ashwin
- Shardul Thakur
- Jaydev Unadkat
- Mohammed Siraj
India Squad WI Tests: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), KS Bharat (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Navdeep Saini.
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