On Shubman Gill Requesting Rahul Dravid, Rohit Sharma To Bat At No. 3, Ex-India Opener Calls It 'Unusual'

Ahead of the first Test against West Indies in Dominica, India captain Rohit Sharma had confirmed that young batter Yashasvi Jaiswal will be making his debut for the team. Rohit had revealed that Yashasvi will open the innings alongside him, with Shubman Gill coming in at No.3. The Indian skipper had suggested that Gill has expressed his wish to play one down. Former India opening batter Aakash Chopra, however, believes it is unusual for a player to request for a change in the batting order in Indian cricket.

"Shubman Gill told team management that he wanted to play at no.3. It's a very interesting thing, because you don't usually hear such things happening in Indian cricket. You don't see a player telling team management that he likes to bat in a particular position. Neither does anyone make that request, nor anyone is given that luxury. But the good thing is Yashasvi Jaiswal can now open," Chopra said in a video uploaded on his official YouTube channel.

But, Chopra suggested that Gill's wish to bat at No.3 might benefit India in the longer run, especially when the senior players decide to call it a day.

"But in Test cricket, if there's one difficult job, it's that of a opener. Especially away from home. No.3 is still a challenging spot, but no.4 is the most settled spot and you usually keep your best batter in that spot. You don't want him to bat with the tail. Shubman at no.3, I'm not surprised. I tweeted in 2020 that he would play long for India but in few years time, you would see him batting in the middle. Now, he has himself expressed that wish," he added.

On Day 1 of the first Test, India reached 80 without loss at stumps after bundling out the West Indies for 150.

Jaiswal joined Rohit in an unbroken opening