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Neither KL Rahul Nor Gill; Australian Great Picks 'Surprise' Indian Opener For England Tests

Debashis Sarangi

KL Rahul and Shubman Gill [Source: @CricCrazyJohns, @SPORTYVISHAL/X]KL Rahul and Shubman Gill [Source: @CricCrazyJohns, @SPORTYVISHAL/X]

Former Australian captain and legendary cricketer Ricky Ponting believes that India should unleash promising batter B Sai Sudharsan in their upcoming Test tour of England. Led by Shubman Gill, India are set to face the Englishmen in five Tests, with the first match commencing on June 20 at Headingley, Leeds. 

Ponting Urges India To Play Sai Sudharsan

Known for his stoic technique and elegant stroke play, B Sai Sudharsan earned his maiden Test call-up for the England tour. After Rohit Sharma's retirement, India are searching for Yashasvi Jaiswal's new opening partner, which, according to Ricky Ponting, could be Sai Sudharsan.  

“I think the time’s right for Sudarshan to come into the side, to be honest. There’s a bit of a regeneration that’s going to happen around this Indian team now, obviously with Rohit and Virat not there," Ponting was quoted as saying by Express Sports.

The three-time World Cup winner reckons that India can slot their experienced batters in the middle order if they allot the vacant opening spot to Sudharsan, who has been prolific in the domestic circuit. This move, as Ponting believes, can help India form a more formidable lineup to counter the English attack in tricky batting conditions. 

"If they go with (Yashasvi) Jaiswal, and if Sai Sudarshan is the other opener, they need someone a bit more experienced at number three. So that could be either, KL at three, or that could be Karun Nair at three and Shubman at four. Once you grow into it, then you can move yourself back up to that number three spot,” the former Australian skipper added. 

KL Rahul Auditions For Opening Slot With Prolific Ton

Meanwhile, veteran batter KL Rahul made an instant impact after storming through the India-A playing XI for the second unofficial Test against the England Lions. Upon being asked to open the batting, Rahul grabbed the opportunity with both hands, slamming a sensational century. 

With Jaiswal and Gill being the automatic choices and India aiming to fit both Rahul and Karun Nair in their lineup, the chances of Sudharsan making his Test debut at Headingley seem slim at the moment.