Jaiswal To Open, Gill To Bat at 3; Rohit Sharma Gives 'Huge' Hint On India's Batting Lineup For 1st Test vs West Indies
Rohit Sharma [Twitter]
In a significant development, Indian captain Rohit Sharma has given a massive hint regarding the team's batting lineup for the first Test against West Indies, beginning tomorrow at Windsor Park in Dominica. While talking to OneCricket's correspondent, Sharma revealed that promising Mumbai batter Yashasvi Jaiswal would make his red-ball debut and open the batting alongside him in this match. Meanwhile, the stylish right-handed batter has also stated that his first-choice opening partner will be demoted to number three, filling the void of Cheteshwar Pujara in the star-studded Indian line-up.
In a bid to revamp their Test squad, India moved on from Pujara following his underwhelming performance in the WTC final, including two probables, Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad, as his probable replacements. As Jaiswal was ahead in the pecking order, people had expected him to bat at number three in the West Indies Tests.
However, as Sharma put it, Gill had a conversation with head coach Rahul Dravid, expressing his eagerness to bat at number three from this match onwards. The team management respected his choice, as it suited their plan of pairing a left-handed batter with Rohit Sharma at the top. The Indian captain also clarified that they were searching for a left-handed opener and would consider Jaiswal for the role in the long run.
Sharma also confirmed that India will field two spinners in Dominica Test, which means we will get to see both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the playing XI. This comes as a massive development, considering Ashwin was left out of the Indian squad that took on Australia in the second WTC final held last month.
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