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Xtra Time Web Desk: Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar recently shared an important suggestion for the Indian team management ahead of test series against England with regard to the openers. The legendary batsman wants the team management to try opening the batting with Mayank and Shubman in the practice games. The Little Master wants the team management to assess who among the two has a better technique for English conditions.

Shubman was preferred over Mayank in the recently concluded ICC World Test Championship Final at Southampton. The talented batsman from Punjab failed to live up to the expectation in both innings of the WTC Final. Mayank on the other hand has scored two double hundreds opening the batting for India. Gavaskar wants the team management to rest Rohit Sharma in the intra squad matches since he is a certainty for test side.

“Make Mayank and Gill open the innings together because Rohit Sharma is a certainty and he can be rested for a game. That would give you an idea who has the better technique for English conditions. And then based on that, they can make a decision whether they want to play Mayank Agarwal or Shubman Gill,” Gavaskar said to Sports Tak.

The former India opener also shared his views on Shubman Gill’s footwork which has been too much front foot. According to Gavaskar, the KKR batsman does not make an effort to go to the backfoot and that’s the reason he plays across the line.

“His (Gill’s) footwork isn’t much. He only goes in front and that’s not the case with him only in England. Even in the series in India, there too, he had just one movement which is forward. There’s no effort to go on the backfoot and that is why he plays across the line,” said Gavaskar.

He added, “Once your feet go forward, with that balance, it’s tough to get back on the backfoot if the length is slightly short, is tough. So he needs to work hard, there’s no doubt on his talent. But if he works a bit hard, he will get the reward.”

It will be interesting if the team management does decided to try both Mayank and Shubman as openers in the two intra squad matches in Durham.