India cricket team’s skipper, Rohit Sharma, spoke to the media ahead of the first Test match against Australia in the Border Gavaskar Trophy, starting on February 9th. One of the most anticipated aspects of the match is the selection of the starting lineup, and in particular, who will open alongside the Indian skipper.
23-year-old Shubman Gill, who has been in sensational form recently, is considered a top contender for the opening spot. However, with KL Rahul returning to the squad after a brief absence, the opener’s position is up for grabs. Speaking about the situation in a pre-match press conference, Rohit Sharma praised Shubman Gill, saying, “Shubman has been in supreme form, scoring a lot of big hundreds.”
Despite veteran players choosing Gill as their first choice for the series opener, the return of Rahul may change the plans. The form Gill could be influential for team India and determine the flow of the Indian batting attack.
In addition to selecting the openers, the Indian cricket team faces an important decision in the middle order, as they will be without Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant. Pant, who has been a match-winner for Team India in Test cricket in the recent series, will be greatly missed. The team will be looking for someone to step up and replicate Pant’s counterattack, and Suryakumar Yadav is a strong candidate to fill this role. When asked about this, Rohit Sharma stated, “SKY has shown what he brings to the table, but we have not decided whom we will go with.”
“We will miss Rishabh Pant, but we have guys to fill the role. We have had a good talk with the batters about their plans, and hopefully, we will execute them from tomorrow onwards,” the Indian captain added. The selection of the starting lineup will be a crucial aspect for the Indian cricket team to consider as they look to start their Border Gavaskar Trophy campaign on a strong note.
