India are all set to lock horns with Australia in Border-Gavaskar Trophy, starting February 9 in Nagpur and ahead of the crucial four-Test series, the Indian management has a tough choice to make for the opening slot for which KL Rahul and Shubman Gill are in the contention.
Notably, Gill smashed his maiden Test century in the first match against Bangladesh earlier this year. KL Rahul, on the other hand, had a forgetful series with the bat against the Tigers as he scored just 57 runs in the entire series at an average of 14.25
Moreover, Gill has been in form of his life lately, having smashed a double ton in an ODI and his maiden T20I century in the series against New Zealand for which Rahul was rested.
Given his rich form, many believe that Gill should be considered as an option to open the innings alongside skipper Rohit Sharma in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, former India cricketer Irfan Pathan believes that the established opening pairing of Rohit and Rahul should open against Australia.
“Not in all three formats but in two formats. If you talk about Test matches, you have two openers who have scored runs in difficult conditions, scored runs in England and won matches for India there. KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma are there, so suddenly because Shubman Gill has scored runs in the T20 format, you cannot ask them to step aside and let him play. You need the stability,” Pathan told Star Sports.
However, Pathan added that Gill has cemented his place in the ODI and T20I format courtesy of his fabulous batting display in recent matches.
“I feel he has sealed his spot in T20 cricket after this century. He has done that in ODI cricket in any case. If it continues like this, you will see Shubman Gill alongside Rohit Sharma in the World Cup, there is no doubt about that. Now with the confidence he will get in T20 cricket, you can assume that his place is almost assured because a transition period is going on there after the T20 World Cup. So you will see him there,” Pathan added.
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