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Aakash Chopra feels Indian skipper Rohit Sharma should promote himself up the batting order and push dropping Shubman Gill down.
IND vs AUS: Rohit Sharma after being dismissed (AP)
Aakash Chopra has suggested a slight change in India’s batting order for the fourth Test of the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. With India and Australia drawing the Brisbane Test, the blockbuster five-match series currently stands levelled at 1-1. The two cricket powerhouses are next set to square off during the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne from December 26. Speaking ahead of the clash, Aakash opined that Indian skipper Rohit Sharma should promote himself up the batting order while dropping Shubman Gill downwards. “Rohit can think of one thing if he wishes. Come at No. 3 and send Shubman down the order,” Aakash said on his YouTube channel.
In the video, Aakash Chopra was asked if Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill should be dropped from India’s playing XI to make space for upcoming stars like Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan. The cricketer-turned-commentator hit back at such suggestions, claiming that nothing like that will happen for the Melbourne clash. “Nothing of that sort is going to happen and it shouldn’t happen as well,” Aakash said. The retired opener further voiced that fans shouldn’t be so critical of Rohit. “Will there be a change (to his place) – no. Can you leave out Rohit Sharma? Does anyone talk like that about the captain?” he added.
While Aakash Chopra didn’t like the criticism hurled at Rohit Sharma, he acknowledged that Shubman Gill would have to step up his game for India when playing on away soil. “I totally understand that it’s been 16 innings for Shubman Gill since he has scored a 40-plus score outside Asia. It’s been a while. You have a lot of expectations from him that he will score runs, and things will change,” he concluded.
Both Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill have produced lacklustre numbers in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Neither of the two featured in India’s opening Test against Australia in Perth, where the visiting side pulled off a 295-run victory. Bumrah captained the series and put up a Player of the Match performance to help India take the lead. Rohit returned to the squad in Adelaide and scored nine runs across two innings for India. Gill, on the other hand, scored 59 across both innings.
The third Test in Brisbane was a similar story for Rohit Sharma. He was dismissed by Pat Cummins for ten runs while Shubman Gill departed after scoring a single run. They will now be looking to bounce back to form in Melbourne.
