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Legendary Indian batter Gavaskar opined that the tourists would err on the side of caution and choose the experienced Rahul for the first Test despite his recent struggle for form.
KL Rahul. (Picture Credit: AFP)
Team India are set to begin the Border Gavaskar Trophy down under on the 22nd of November and will be devoid of the services of skipper Rohit Sharma, who is on paternity leave following the birth of his second child.
In his absence, India could opt to open KL Rahul or Abhimanyu Eashwaran alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal in the first Test. Legendary Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar opined that the tourists would err on the side of caution and choose the experienced Rahul for the first Test despite his recent struggle for form.
Rahul produced a remarkable ton against South Africa on the road at the Centurion last year, and Gavaskar is confident that the 32-year-old could replicate the innings in Australia.
“KL Rahul got one of the finest centuries that I have witnessed first-hand in South Africa last year opening the batting, so doing so here again won’t be an issue for him,” the legend said.
“Like all batters, he will need some luck at the start and if he gets that he can get the team off to a solid opening,” Gavaskar added.
Gavaskar also expressed that a team needs to deploy its best bowlers in the longest format of the game, even if it means bringing in two spinners.
“I believe that you have to pick your best bowlers for the Test match, never mind how the pitch will behave,” he added.
“In Ashwin and Jadeja, we have bowlers who have taken almost 900 wickets between them. They also have between them more than half a dozen Test centuries under their belts,” Gavaskar continued.
“Even if they may not get much help from the pitch, they can, with their skill and experience slow down the scoring and exert pressure on the batters,” the 75-year-old added.
Youngsters including Jaiswal, Dhurv Jurel, Nitish Reddy and Devdutt Padikkal could get their first taste of a Test series on Australian soil and Gavaskar hoped that the young guns have been trained well to tackle bouncy tracks.
“Hopefully, the coaching staff has given them practice about playing above the waist and taught them to play besides the line of the ball on pitches with extra bounce,” Gavaskar explained.
“They have to use the crease and be on the back foot a lot more than in India,” he elucidated.
The former Indian skipper also added that the Indian unit have the mental fortitude to move past the humbling they received at the hands of New Zealand on home soil ahead of the series and would focus on the job at hand in Australia.
“Just like a batter is trained to forget the previous delivery and focus on the next one, so do good teams forget what’s happened in the previous Test match and concentrate on the next one,” he likened.
“With the experience in this team, I am sure they will guide the youngsters to look at the next one and not think about the previous one,” Gavaskar concluded.
