What Shubman Gill Told Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid About Batting At No. 3 vs West Indies, Star Reveals

12.07.2023 - 16:19 sports.ndtv.com

India batter Shubman Gill doesn't see the role of a number three much different to of an opener after deciding to bat lower down the order.

Gill would fill the big shoes of Cheteshwar Pujara at number three, starting with the two Test series against the West Indies.

Debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal has been tasked to open alongside Rohit Sharma in the series opener. "They (Team management) asked me where I wanted to bat, and I said I wanted No.

3. It is a position where I want to consolidate," Gill told host broadcasters ahead of the opening Test here. Gill said the experience of opening for India would come handy at number three. "It is always good to play with the new ball.

cricket India Cricket Team West Indies Cricket Team 2023 Rohit Sharma Rahul Dravid Shubman Gill New Zealand India Barbados Dominica

India meet the West Indies in the third and final ODI at Trinidad on Tuesday with the series on the line. While the visitors won the opening game, the hosts restored parity in the following match-up with a six-wicket win. India rested skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the previous match and former India cricketer Aakash Chopra feels they should continue experimenting if the management thinks that's the way forward. “If you were to look at the series for experiments, why stop? If you're going in with the philosophy that ‘I am going to try a lot of cricketers, I'm going to give chances to the players who haven't gotten enough game time.' Why change? You've done it in the first game, you've done it in the second game. Just give more opportunities to the players who haven't gotten enough in the past,” said Aakash Chopra on JioCinema.

Shubman Gill Shatters Babar Azam's All-Time Record In 2nd ODI Against West Indies

The Indian cricket team went down to West Indies in the 2nd ODI on Sunday after a catastrophic batting collapse saw the team score only 181 runs. India's defeat in the match left a sour taste in the mouths of fans, especially considering the opening stand that Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan had put. In fact, during the course of his 34-run knock in the match, Gill went on to break Pakistan superstar Babar Azam's long-standing record.

"Rohit Sharma Can Come One Down With Virat Kohli At 4": Ex-Pakistan Star's Surprising Advice

The Indian cricket team were completely outplayed by West Indies as they slumped to a six-wicket loss in the second ODI match in Barbados. The visitors decided to rest both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli after winning the first match of the series but their batters were unable perform on Saturday as India were all out for just 181. Former Pakistan opener Salman Butt believes that the current India team lacks players who can ideally replace Rohit or Virat at present and he had an interesting solution to the problem. Butt said that India can experiment with the opening pair of Shubman Gill and Shikhar Dhawan with Rohit and Kohli coming at No.3 and No.4 respectively.

Why Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma Are Not Playing In Second ODI vs West Indies? Hardik Pandya Raises 'Few Questions' Point

The Indian cricket team sprang a surprise at the toss of the second ODI against West Indies on Saturday as they rested veteran duo Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. In Rohit Sharma's absence, India's T20I captain Hardik Pandya led the side, as it was asked to bat first in the match. Pandya said that they were seeking answers to a few questions and that's why the duo was rested. In place of the veterans, Sanju Samson and Axar Patel have been brought in.

Watch: Virat Kohli Shares Valuable Tips With West Indies Batter, Star's Gesture Is Viral

Star batter Virat Kohli didn't get a chance to bat in the first ODI against West Indies on Thursday as the management decided to shuffle the batting order. With the visitors chasing a modest target of 115, Ishan Kishan opened the batting with Shubman Gill, with captain Rohit Sharma coming in at no. 7. Kohli, however, did not bat in the chase as India won the match by five wickets. After the match, Kohli was seen having a chat with West Indies captain Shai Hope.

Wasim Jaffer's Hilarious Meme On India's Batting Order vs West Indies Wins Internet

Skipper Rohit Sharma and senior pro Virat Kohli, who have 76 international hundreds between them, decided to give game time to middle-order batters as India beat West Indies by five wickets in the opening ODI, riding on exploits from spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. After Jadeja (3/37 in 6 overs) and Kuldeep (4/6 in 4 overs) set it up beautifully, shooting out the Windies for 114 in 23 overs, Ishan Kishan helped himself to a half-century (52 off 46 balls) in India's successful chase in just 22.5 overs.