Shubman Gill's big decision to bat at No. 3 in the interest of team | WIvsIND
Xtra Time Web Desk: Indian captain Rohit Sharma on Tuesday has disclosed that Shubman Gill's demotion to No.3 in the Indian batting lineup was a decision initiated by the youngster himself. Gill, who had been India's preferred opening batsman since his remarkable debut series in Australia, expressed his desire to begin the new cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC) at No. 3 position. This request came about as the team saw the emergence of young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and the veteran Cheteshwar Pujara faced a decline in form.
Head coach Rahul Dravid, who has been keen on providing Gill with his preferred batting position since assuming his coaching role in November 2021, welcomed the idea of gradually moving Gill towards his desired spot at No.4, starting with No.3. However, untimely injuries disrupted the team's combinations, preventing Dravid from implementing this plan. Hence, when Gill expressed his willingness to bat at No.3, Dravid readily approved the move.
Rohit further shared that Gill had personally approached Dravid with the idea, stating that he had performed well in domestic cricket batting at No.3 or No.4 and believed he could excel by batting one position lower. This behind-the-scenes discussion between Gill and Dravid led to the reshuffling of the batting unit and paved the way for Jaiswal's exciting debut.
Shubman looked focussed during the nets in the build up to the first test match which starts at the Windsor Park from Wednesday, July 12. Some of the shots he played during the net session on Monday speaks volumes of his confidence. No better than Shubman himself will know that he will have big shoes to fill as Pujara has been carrying the responsibility as a No. 3 batter successfully for the last decade.
