Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh believes Shubman Gill will have to wait for his chance and is unlikely to feature in the playing XI for the second Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Adelaide, starting December 6.
Despite the absence of skipper Rohit Sharma and regular No. 3 Gill in the first Test, India delivered a dominant performance, securing a 295-run victory to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
In the second innings in Perth, Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul opened the batting, achieving India’s first-ever 200-run opening partnership in Tests on Australian soil. Their impressive display has given the team management a dilemma about how to accommodate the returning Rohit and Gill in the batting order.
Sharing his thoughts on the situation during a conversation with Sports Today, Harbhajan Singh commented:
“I guess Gill will have to wait for his chance. You took Jurel in for a match and when he didn’t make runs, you would make him sit outside. So you can’t play Gill from opening to No.5 as well.”
”It’s a complicated situation and you do feel trapped. But it’s good only. I feel they will play Gill ahead of Jurel. But I feel Jurel should be played and given the chance.”
Gill has been in exceptional Test form this year, averaging over 47 in 10 matches. In contrast, Dhruv Jurel struggled in the opening Test, managing only 11 and 1 in his two innings.
“Let the KL Rahul-Yashasvi Jaiswal partnership continue”- Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh suggests that the KL Rahul-Yashasvi Jaiswal opening pair should remain intact, with Rohit Sharma slotting in at No. 3 for the second Test against Australia in Adelaide. Notably, Rohit hasn’t batted outside the opening position in Tests since the 2018-19 Australia tour.
“I would say let this KL Rahul-Yashasvi Jaiswal combination to continue. Shubman Gill, I guess, will have to make way for captain Rohit Sharma at No.3 and then Virat Kohli at No.4. After that, it is almost set,” Harbhajan said in the same interview.
Rohit has opened the batting in 42 of his 64 Tests, boasting an impressive average of 44 with nine centuries. If the 37-year-old moves to No. 3 for the second Test, he will take the spot of Devdutt Padikkal, who scored 0 and 25 in the first match.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.