India began their World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle in an emphatic fashion, beating West Indies by an innings and 141 runs in the opening Test in Dominica last week.
The series opener also saw the Indian team moving into a transition with Yashasvi Jaiswal making his red-ball debut. The southpaw opened the innings alongside skipper Rohit Sharma while Shubman Gill was shifted to No. 3 – the spot that previously belonged to Cheteshwar Pujara, who has been dropped from the Test side.
While Jaiswal slammed 171 in his maiden Test innings as opener, Gill failed to make a mark in his new batting position, scoring only 6 runs before being dismissed by left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican.
However, India batting coach Vikram Rathour said Shubman has the necessary skills to bat at No. 3 and shouldn't be judged on the basis of single innings.
"Three openers were supposed to play, so one had to go at No. 3 and the proposal came from Shubman's end as his rationale was that he had played all his cricket for Punjab and India A at either No. 3 or 4 and that's his real slot in longer format is that," Rathour said during a press conference.
"We can't judge him on basis of one innings. He has a lot of time. He has the technique and temperament to play time if required and can also play an attacking game when a move on is needed. He can move the game forward. That is what we need at No. 3 as it can be advantageous."
Rathour also praised Rohit for his century (103) in the first Test, saying that the Indian captain's ability to change the game is what makes him the player that he is.
"In the last series versus Australia also, he scored a hundred. There is no concern about his batting. We have seen that he can change his game as per requirements. Like he did against Australia and now here. Knowing that you need to change your game is one thing but being able to do that is different. He can do that."
By winning the Dominica Test, India took an unbeatable 1-0 lead in the two-match Test series. The second Test will be played at Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain from July 20.
(With PTI Inputs)
