NEW DELHI: Former India captain Anil Kumble has voiced his opinion on who should open for India in Australia in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy if Rohit Sharma is unavailable for the first Test in Perth.
The former India head coach believes that KL Rahul is the ideal candidate to step up in such a scenario and has backed Shubman Gill to excel at the No. 3 spot.
With Rohit likely to miss the first Test due to personal reasons, Kumble has suggested that Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rahul should open, keeping Gill at No.3.
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Kumble believes this combination would maintain balance, as Gill has adapted well to the one-down position. Gill’s notable stint as an opener includes his crucial 91 in India’s historic victory at Brisbane in 2021.
Debuting as an opener in Melbourne in 2020, Gill opened for India in 17 Tests before shifting to No. 3 in 2023, showing his versatility across the top order.
“You know he (Shubman) is exceptionally talented, skilful and he’s done that. He’s been to Australia before. Like you mentioned, in Brisbane, he got a wonderful fifty there and he knows the conditions,” Kumble said while speaking on JioCinema.
“I don’t want to change that. I know there’s a temptation to push Shubman Gill because Rohit is not available in the first Test. But, there’s always KL Rahul that name is synonymous with change and adapting to whatever the team wants. Whether you want to open the batting or keep wickets, Rahul Dravid did that, now KL Rahul is doing that,” Kumble added.
Kumble emphasized that Gill’s batting style differs from the more traditional approaches of past No. 3 stalwarts like Rahul Dravid and Cheteshwar Pujara.
Kumble feels India can benefit from his ability to adapt quickly to varying match situations. With the series expected to be highly competitive, Gill’s dynamic strokeplay and adaptability could provide India with the edge they need in challenging Australian conditions.
“You said, for the last 25 years, there have been only two players who have been consistently playing, and it’s a tough role. I mean, both those batsmen, Rahul and Cheteshwar, contributed immensely during that period, and you know you have to balance it out. You could probably be batting the second ball of the test match, or you could be batting much later when the conditions are easier,” Kumble noted.
“But more often than not, you get in there to control that first session and see off the new ball because we know that the Kookaburra Ball after the 1st 25 hours, the best time to bat is between the 30th over and the 60th over. And that’s what these two batters did throughout their careers, ensuring that the team was safe and the four number four, number five and number six batters, came in much later into the lineup so that they could comfortably bat and score the runs,” he said.
“So Shubman will have to play that role very specifically in Australia. He may have to change a little bit based on the conditions. He has the ability (to do that) as well,” he further said.