KL Rahul vs Shubman Gill: Who Should Open With Rohit Sharma in IND vs AUS 1st Test? Former India Coach Ravi Shastri Says THIS

Former India coach Ravi Shashtri hinted that in-form batter Shubman Gill should start ahead of vice-captain KL Rahul alongside Rohit Sharma in the first Test match against Australia on Thursday (February 9). Rahul's poor form in recent times has sparked a debate on whether the opener should retain his spot for India's opening pair with young batting sensation Shubman Gill leaving nothing in the tank to prove his worth when given a chance. Shashtri believes that Rahul's role of vice-captaincy should not give him a guaranteed place in the playing eleven if Shubman Gill is looking as sweet as he is playing in the white-ball format during the practice sessions ahead the Nagpur Test.

 

"Shubman or Rahul depends on the team management, what they think. Obviously, you'd want to go with what you've been doing in the past, but form becomes critical. You know, someone's hitting it real sweet and it's coming out of the centre of the bat. Then, you know, you wake up, and say, 'listen'."

"I'd have been watching Gill and Rahul very closely in the nets. Very closely. If it's a hard call; when I see footwork, when I see timing as to who is batting better. If it has to be Shubman ahead of Rahul, so be it. You know, straight. You have to see that. I won't say that KL Rahul is the vice-captain so he becomes the automatic choice."

"It can happen. It happened once in my tenure when I was a coach in Sri Lanka. There was a series that happened in India, and there were two openers. And, you know, they wanted to persevere with one. I took over and then I just saw the form of Shikhar Dhawan in the nets, and he was red-hot straight after the Champion's Trophy in England. So we picked him and he got 190 in that game, and the rest is history," elaborated Shastri. (READ: 'It's Going to be Tough...,' Read Captain Rohit Sharma's Witty Response on KL Rahul's Spot in Playing XI for IND vs AUS 1st Test)

Coming to India's number 5 spot, Shashtri suggested Suryakumar Yadav is the best option for India. Suryakumar hasn't played Test cricket yet, and his selection in the Test squad for the first two matches against Australia came largely on the back of his highly impactful performances in T20Is. With no Shreyas Iyer due to a back injury, Suryakumar, who averages 45.93 after 74 first-class matches, is being largely seen to make his Test debut by batting at number five and give an attacking edge to India`s batting order on spin-friendly pitches.

"At number five, Suryakumar (Yadav) will get the position, because there`s no Shreyas (Iyer). There'll be talk about, 'can (Shubman) Gill bat at five?' I think you need the right guy for the right number," said Shastri. (READ: 'I Will Slap You Hard, Rishabh Pant': Kapil Dev Angry at Wicketkeeper-Batter for THIS Reason)

"At five, when you go there, especially if the ball is turning, then you need someone who is good at playing the right shots against spin. Surya demands that position. I think it's straightforward," said Shastri on The ICC Review show on Wednesday.

Gill had scored his maiden Test hundred in the first Test against Bangladesh at Chattogram. Rahul, who captained the Test team as Rohit was out due to thumb injury, didn't have a great time on the tour with the bat, registering scores of 22, 23, 10 and 2. (With IANS inputs)