Following the defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the WTC Final, speculations have been rife about the Indian batting order. The discussion for the opening slot has gained a lot of traction. Ex-cricketer turned commentator Aakash Chopra has weighed in on the debate. He feels Shubman Gill was the right choice to partner with Rohit Sharma at the top.
The 21-year-old youngster had a fantastic debut in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, he hasn’t been able to replicate his form in the subsequent matches. He was found wanting against the English pacers in the home series. Gill’s weaknesses were further exposed by the Kiwi pacers in the summit clash.
"Mayank Agarwal has gone a really job for india, twice he's scored a double ton opening the innings. It's s good thing that the BCCI taken the initiative to conduct some warm-up matches before the England Tests so there you can decide who between Gill & Mayank." – Sunil Gavaskar
— CricketMAN2 (@ImTanujSingh) June 27, 2021
Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma was the right combination –Â Aakash Chopra
Despite the backlash received owing to his poor performances, Gill was backed by Aakash Chopra. The former Indian cricketer was asked by a fan whether Karnataka batsman, KL Rahul, could have opened instead of Shubman Gill. He denied stating Gill was the right choice for the opening slot.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra said:
“It wasn’t possible to play KL Rahul because Mayank Agarwal is ahead in the pecking order. I also feel Gill definitely had to play in the WTC Final. Even in the Tests against England, I think Gill should be played first. Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma was the right combination.”
The 43-year-old added that he will continue to support what the team does. The selectors made the right call and although it didn’t work out, Aakash Chopra feels they’re on the right path.
“Shubman Gill with Rohit Sharma will be the right decision for the first Test match also. It did not work out [in the WTC Final] but whoever has to make the decision has to look ahead and not behind. So I am going with what the team did,” Chopra concluded.
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