Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma hinted at India's probable playing eleven against West Indies in the first Test match on Tuesday, July 11. While speaking in a pre-match conference, Rohit unveiled much-changed India's top order and also revealed long-term solutions at the top order.
India return to Test cricket after their embarrassing 209-run defeat to Australia in ICC World Test Championship final last month. The veteran batter and regular no.3 Cheteshwar Pujara is dropped from the team while opener KL Rahul misses due to injury. In their absence, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad have earned their maiden Test call-ups, and the former is set to open an innings in the first Test at Windsor Park, Roseau, Dominica starting on July 12.
Rohit revealed that Shubman Gill, who opened an innings in the WTC final and India's last three Test matches, will bat at no.3 in Pujara's place. Indian skipper added that Gill himself approached head coach Rahul Dravid to play in the vacant no.3 position as he has previously batted in that slot in domestic cricket.
"As far as batting order is concerned, Gill will bat at No.3 as he himself wants to play at that slot. He himself went up to Rahul bhai (coach Dravid) and requested that since he has played all his cricket at No.3 and 4, he feels he could contribute more for the team in that slot," Rohit said on the eve of the first Test in Dominica.
Rohit also added that India will go with a left-right combination at the top so Yashasvi will be opening an innings with him. He highlighted that Indian management was looking for a long-term solution for a left-hander at the top and Yashasvi will have a chance to make that slot of his own.
"For us, it's a good thing that we will have a left-right combination at the top. Hopefully, this will be a long-term solution as we were desperate for a left-hander at the top. Hope he (Jaiswal) can make that spot his own," Rohit added.
India's probable playing XI for the first Test: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane (vc), KS Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar
