BGT: Shubman Gill Likely To Be Out Of 2nd Test; Who Will Replace Him At Number 3?

Anurag Dasgupta

Gill likely to be out of 2nd Test [Source: @mufaddal_vohra/X.Com] Gill likely to be out of 2nd Test [Source: @mufaddal_vohra/X.Com]

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The joy of winning the historic first Test vs Australia at Perth was short-lived as Shubman Gill, the key Indian batter is likely to be ruled out of the second Border-Gavaskar series Test match, starting on December 6.

Gill, suffered a left thumb injury before the first Test in Perth, and was subsequetly ruled out of the match. However, Team India were optimistic that he'll recover in time for the second game of the series. However, as per latest reports by TOI, the talented batter is yet to recover from the injury and it might take upto 3 weeks for Gill to start doing some match practice.

In that case, India's number 3 problem is likely to persist, and the team might need to tweak things a bit, especially with the Pink-ball Test in mind. In this piece we dive into the players who can replace Gill at number 3 for the next Test.

Persist with Devdutt Padikkal

In the absence of Gill in Perth, India opted for Devdutt Padikkal at the numnber 3 role, but the move failed as the youngster couldn't even open his account in the first innings. In the second innings, he scored 25 runs, but looked scratchy throughout the innings.

Padikkal has a faulty technique and his weakness against the moving ball was exploited by the Aussie bowlers. However, this team management doesn't believe in too many chopping and changing, and hence, could go in with Padikkal at number 3 for the Adelaide match.

KL Rahul, the multi-talented guy at number 3

KL Rahul can open, he can bat at 5, he can bat at 6, basically KL can do everything on a cricket field. Before the Australia Tests, he batted at number 5 and 6 in the New Zealand series, but with no Rohit Sharma for the Perth Test, team management asked him to open.

He did exceptionally well in both the innings, and scored a gritty fifty as well. However, with Rohit returning, KL could be asked to move down in the pecking order and there is a great possibility that he could bat at number 3.

Kohli to promote himself

In the first Test Vs New Zealand, Kohli sprung a surprise as he walked out to bat at number 3. With a key player missing at number 3, Kohli can once again raise his hands and ask the team management to promote him at number 3.

He is the most experienced batter in the squad and could shoulder the responsibility to take down the Aussie attack by batting at the most precarious position in Tests.