Despite recent strong showings from Shubman Gill, KL Rahul is still expected to open for the Indian team in Thursday’s Test match against Australia. The two teams will renew their historic rivalry in the first match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, hosted by India at Nagpur. KL Rahul, who is the vice-captain under Rohit Sharma, will be looking to solidify his place in the squad.
Harbhajan Singh, a legendary Indian spinner, has expressed his preference for Shubman Gill over KL Rahul as India’s second opener for the upcoming 4-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. In a YouTube video, Singh discussed his views on why India should choose Gill to be Rohit Sharma’s opening partner instead of Rahul.
Harbhajan Singh stated that the opening partnership is crucial and sets the tone for a series. He believes that India’s openers for the Australia series should be Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. Singh explained that Gill is in top form, having shattered numerous records recently, whereas KL Rahul’s current stats across all formats in 2022 are not in his favor. Despite Rahul being a top player, Singh believes that Gill’s performance should earn him the spot as the second opener.
Harbhajan Singh voiced his support for Shubman Gill by emphasizing the opener’s impressive batting stats. He pointed out that Gill, during India’s previous home series, became the fifth Indian to score centuries in all formats of the game.
Harbhajan Singh, as quoted in the Hindustan Times, wrote: “For India to win this Test series, Shubman Gill should open alongside Rohit Sharma. He’s earned a place in the playing XI with his strong performances, not just for one game but throughout the series. If he maintains his current form and confidence, Gill will score a lot of runs for India. I hope he gets the chance to play.”
Shubman Gill, India’s youngest player to score centuries in all three formats, has played 13 Tests for the team led by Rohit Sharma. At 23 years old, he made his Test debut against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2020. Gill has amassed 736 runs with an average of 32.0 in the Test format. The first Test between India and Australia will take place at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium on Thursday.