Indian cricketer turned politician Gautam Gambhir on Tuesday drew up an Indian team he would like to see facing Australia in the second Test match at Melbourne. The World Cup-winning batsman said that he would want to see Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja play together.
After a much-discussed loss in the first test match, the Indian team- lead by step in skipper Ajinkya Rahane- will play Tim Paine’s Australia in a much-awaited Boxing-Day Test, starting on December 26. While the haunting memories of the first test, dismissal at 36 and a hurting loss would fog Rahane and company’s brains, a win in Melbourne could be a statement and would help the visitors’ survival in the series that Australia lead 1-0.
What Gautam Gambhir Went On To Say About The Game On Cricket Connected?
A majority of experts have already given out a verdict in favour of the home team. Ricky Ponting has been claiming a clean sweep in the Border-Gavaskar trophy. However, it is Gautam Gambhir who believes that some changes in the squad could help India beat the popular odds.
Virat Kohli will be missing the rest of the series owing to personal commitments. Pacer Mohammed Shami will be sitting out with an injury. Gambhir said Shubman Gill should be brought into the playing 11.
Before the series started, the former Kolkata Knight Riders skipper was a staunch believer of letting Prithvi Shaw play at the opening slot. The former U-19 skipper was in fine form when it came to red-ball cricket, but Shaw’s identical dismissals in both the innings make Gambhir think otherwise. While the 39-year-old included Mayank Agarwal in the side, he replaced Gill for Shaw. For Virat Kohli, the popular opinion points towards Kings XI Punjab’s captain KL Rahul and Gautam believes in the same.
“I wanted Prithvi Shaw to start the series because if a player has scored a hundred and two fifties in four Test matches and hit a fifty in the last tough tour to New Zealand, then you start with him, no doubt the form was not good. Now in the type of form, he is in, more than the form his confidence is very low, so I will want to see Shubman Gill at the top along with Mayank Agarwal and Pujara at No.3.”
The Team That He Picked For The Boxing Day Test
He also puts his faith in the five bowler system. It is the same that the Indian team usually follows in the Test matches. Especially, when they play in the subcontinent. Gautam Gambhir admitted that he would want to see two spinners in Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
They are also a blessing to the team with their skills with the bat. He would go along with three seamers where Umesh Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah are the obvious choices.
“Jadeja and Ashwin should play at No.7 and No.8 respectively. Post that, then the three seamers. I will want to go into this game with a total of five bowlers.”
Gambhir’s Playing XI: Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (C), KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini/Mohammed Siraj
