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Gill To Open, No Ashwin! Ravi Shastri Names India's Playing XI For BGT Opener

Ravi Shastri And Indian Team - (Source:@Johns/X.com)Ravi Shastri And Indian Team - (Source:@Johns/X.com)

On November 22, India will square off against Australia in the first of a five-match Test series at the W.A.C.A stadium in Perth. Ahead of the series opener, former India head coach Ravi Shastri has weighed in his opinion and dropped his playing XI for the Perth Test. 

There has been a lot of debate regarding India's playing XI in the last few days as Rohit Sharma, who was recently blessed with a baby boy, is likely to skip the first Test. Thus, it opens doors for KL Rahul to open the innings.

Shastri Backs Gill To Open The Innings

Further, the No. 6 and No.7 spots are up for grabs and several players are in line to cement their place in the playing XI. Meanwhile, Shastri has vouched for Shubman Gill to open the innings instead of KL Rahul.

“You can push Shubman (Gill) back up the order and he has opened in the past in Australia. Otherwise, you'll have to then make an alternative. Easwaran hasn't done that well (for India A in Australia). But it's how he's batting in the nets, how Rahul is batting in the nets. But that Shubman Gill option is also there," remarked Shastri while speaking to ICC.

Ravi Shastri Opts For Sole Spinner At W.A.C.A

Further, Shastri backed Dhruv Jurel to bat as a specialist batter and surprisingly picked Nitish Reddy, who earned his maiden Test call-up in his playing XI. The 60-year-old also picked Ravindra Jadeja ahead of R Ashwin.

"For which one to pick now, Ashwin or Jadeja. So then again, it's current form over there. Jadeja brings a lot to the table with his fielding as well as batting. So he would get the edge more often than not overseas. But it's again how they see it and what the form looks like in the nets,” he added.

Ravi Shastri's predicted XI:* Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja/Washington Sundar, Nitish Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj.