"Shubman Gill isn't a number 3 player, Rohit Sharma should play at 3.." Former Indian selector slams 'Selfless' captain

Former BCCI selector Sarandeep Singh who handed all-rounder Washington Sundar with maiden Test call-up back in 2021, has asked Indian captain Rohit Sharma to make way for Shubman Gill to open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal after the Fazilka-based batter failed to provide stability through his batting from number 3 across both innings of the 1st Test in Hyderabad.

Sarandeep Singh claimed that Rohit Sharma should bat at number 3 and let Shubman Gill face the new ball with Jaiswal as that might help Gill get over his purple patch. After all, Gill is a recognized opener across all formats but it was his wish to appear as a 1st down batter, something that has been on implementation since India’s 2-match Test series in West Indies last July.

“Shubman Gill is not a number 3 player. He should open with Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma should bat at no.3 in 2nd Test in my opinion. Waiting to bat for his turn isn’t helping Shubman, it’s better he opens the inning. Rohit is a good player of spin so batting at no.3 shouldn’t worry him too much.” – Sarandeep said.

Ever since he has taken up the number 3 role, Shubman Gill has struggled. The extent is so poor that the 24-year-old has not been able to even touch the 40-run mark, let aside the conversation of scoring a half-century. His highest score as a 1st down batter, home and away has been 36 which he scored in the 2nd Test in South Africa earlier this month.

Other than that, Gill has become a shadow of his former self and has suddenly hit rock bottom after experiencing a sensational 2023 calendar year in ODIs. Therefore, Sarandeep Singh believes it will be best for Gill to stop making such wishes and restart as an opener.

The former selector who played 3 Tests and 5 ODIs for India, went on to further claim that India should not try to disintegrate the team combination after the 1st Test loss and believes that Washington Sundar doesn’t stand a chance to replace Ravindra Jadeja in the playing despite being an almost man-to-man replacement and believes that Kuldeep Yadav will be a better option.

“It is pretty simple for me. Rajat Patidar comes in for KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav comes in for Jadeja. We don’t need to copy England and play four spinners. Playing with two pacers and three spinners has been our strength at home. We need to stick to it.” – Sarandeep concluded.

Is It High Time For Team India To Let Shubman Gill Open With Jaiswal And Push Rohit Sharma At No.3?

Going by the point that Sarandeep Singh made about Shubman Gill getting back to open the innings with Jaiswal and pushing Rohit Sharma at 3 can deplete the batting order’s performance even more. The Rahul Dravid-led management are moving forward with a plan and it won’t be a shock if the results do not come immediately.

However, for Shubman Gill, it will be very important to get going in the 2nd Test and get a good amount of runs under his belt otherwise he faces the scare of being dropped from the side for the remaining Tests after the one in Vizag.