Team India has not been able to solve the dilemma of the opening pair till date. There hasn’t been a consistent pairing as India have changed from Murali Vijay to Mayank Agarwal to KL Rahul. The advantage that India got was Rohit Sharma as India’s Test opener. Despite making his Test debut in 2013, the swashbuckler has earned his place of late and has so far impressed not only fans, but pundits and players as well. Former India opener Sunil Gavaskar weighed in on the dilemma of the opening pair and advocated for KL Rahul to open with Rohit for the India vs England Test series.
From opening for India to playing at No. 4, at No. 5, KL Rahul has been everywhere, thus not getting any consistency of late. With Mayank Agarwal ruled out of the first Test against England after being hit by a Siraj bouncer during training and young Shubman Gill ruled out with an injury, this would be the perfect opportunity for Rahul to prove his mettle once again .
in conversation with Hindustan Times, Gavaskar advocated for Rahul to open the first Test with Rohit after the Karnataka batsman scored a century in a three-day warm-up game in England.
Coming to the opportunities offered, India have tried nine different opening pairs since 2018. Ever since Shubman was brought into the Test team, the youngster played eight matches with Rohit and impressed many. However, with his boycott, Team India is back to square one, but Gavaskar reminded everyone that Rahul scored a century in the last Test of India’s tour of England in 2018 and asked the decision-makers of Team India to choose Rahul as the opener. suggested to consider playing as with Rohit.
However, when it comes to numbers and statistics, Rahul’s Test average of 22.70 in the 11 Tests he has played for Team India does not justify his stature, especially if one considers Rahul as an opener in the England series. considering playing.
Gavaskar reminds the Indian team of the importance of openers as they ‘lay the foundation’ and pave the way for middle-order batsmen to move forward and score runs. Indian legend said the openers turned a broken road into a highway to drive ‘Ferraris and Lamborghini’.
However, in England, India does not have an easy road to drive. In the last series in England, the hosts had won the five-match series 4-1. The Joe Root-led side once again overtook the visitors and with the first Test of the series being played at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, the Indians have to tread carefully as it is Jimmy Anderson’s hunting ground. If the conditions are in favor of seam movement, then India are in big trouble unless Virat Kohli-led team plays slow and smart cricket from India’s side.
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