Rahul Dravid Said Yashasvi Jaiswal Will Open But Shubman Gill Takes His Place. This Is The Reason

11.01.2024 - 13:45 sports.ndtv.com

India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl against Afghanistan in the first T20I of the three-match series on Thursday in Mohali.

The first T20I marks the start of the first bilateral series between the two teams. Apart from World Cup and continental events, India and Afghanistan have never played a series.

Both teams had played a one-off Test a few years back. At the toss, India captain Rohit, who is back in the T20I side after a gap of 14 months, revealed that the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Kuldeep Yadav will not feature in the series-opener.

Rohit's remark were contorary to India head coach Rahul Dravid, who had claimed on the eve of the game that Jaiswal will open the innings with the veteran batter. "As of now, we will be opening with Rohit and Jaiswal.

cricket India Cricket Team Rohit Sharma Rahul Dravid Yashasvi Jaiswal Shubman Gill India Afghanistan

India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja remains a doubt for the second Test against England, starting Friday at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Vizag. Jadeja appeared to have pulled his hamstring during Day 4 of the first Test as England took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series after beating India by 28 runs in Hyderabad. Chasing a target of 231, India were bowled out for 202. Jadeja was run out in the second innings courtesy of Ben Stokes' outrageous underarm flick at the non-striker's end.

"I Just Felt We Left...": Rahul Dravid's Honest Admission On India's Defeat In 1st Test

India head coach Rahul Dravid felt India's mistake during the 28-run defeat to England in the opening Test was leaving runs on the field in the first innings and not capitalising on good starts. After India's spinners forced England to succumb to 246, Yashasvi Jaiswal (80), KL Rahul (86) and Ravindra Jadeja (87) guided India to a gigantic total of 436.

"Do The Same Stuff...": England Great's Advice To Rahul Dravid Regarding Shubman Gill

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has raised concerns over young India batter Shubman Gill's form in Test cricket. Pietersen, who masterminded England's last Test series win in India, urged head coach Rahul Dravid to take Gill under his wing. The 43-year-old acknowledged Gill's talent, but feels that the youngster still needs to work on his game. He made the comments after Gill played a rash shot to get out on Day 2 of the ongoing Test against England.

"It's About Time That...": KL Rahul's Big Statement On Shubman Gill After Poor Show

Indian cricket team star KL Rahul backed teammate Shubman Gill to score big after he was dismissed cheaply on Day 2 of the first Test match against England on Friday. Gill looked to score quickly but ended up gifting his wicket to Tom Hartley after scoring just 23 runs. However, Rahul pointed out that Gill is a top-class cricketer who can play spin well and said that this is something that can happen to any batter. With Yashasvi Jaiswal opening with Rohit Sharma, Gill has been given the No. 3 batting slot but his performance in the new position has not been satisfactory in the past few matches.

How Yashasvi Jaiswal Vindicated Rahul Dravid's Belief In Him As All-Format Opener

The rollicking 80 that Yashasvi Jaiswal made against England in the first Test in Hyderabad is a validation of the team management's belief that the left-hander is India's next all-format opener. Jaiswal might have used a cliche - intent to play positive cricket - to describe his 74-ball blitz that gave India early momentum against the visitors, but the knock is certain to resonate more deeply within the walls of the dressing room. "I don't think it was any tactic (attacking England spinners early on Thursday evening), as I was just thinking to play well against certain balls, play some positive shots," Jaiswal humbly offered in his post-day press meet on Friday.

India vs England, 1st Test - "Ye Sikhna Padega...": Anil Kumble Points Out Flaw In Shubman Gill's Batting

Former India captain Anil Kumble has pointed out a major flaw in young batter Shubman Gill's technique after he got out for cheap in the ongoing 1st Test against England in Hyderabad. Resuming from his overnight score of 14, Gill was dismissed on 23 by England debutant Tom Hartley. Gill's attempt to swat Hartley ended in the hands of Ben Duckett at mid-wicket, giving the left-arm spinner his maiden Test wicket. While speaking during the lunch break on Day 2, Kumble feels Gill needs to learn how to rotate strikes, especially against the spinners.