Indian captain Rohit Sharma addressed the media in a press conference ahead of the second Test between India and South Africa at Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town, set to begin on January 3. During the interaction, Rohit shared insights into Shubman Gill's batting position and stressed the significance of Test cricket.
Rohit expressed his personal preference for opening the innings, stating, "Either you open the batting or you wait and go a little down the order - No. 5 or 6. But since I have started opening the batting, from No. 3 onwards to No. 7, I do not think it is the right position for anyone." He acknowledged the challenges of a scenario where the opener gets injured, and the No. 3 has to walk out and open the batting, minimizing the perceived difference between the two positions.
Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, however, had a different perspective on Shubman Gill's batting style. Gavaskar commented on Gill's aggressive approach, especially in Test cricket, stating, "I think he is playing a bit too aggressively in Test cricket." Gavaskar emphasized the differences between Test cricket and limited-overs formats, highlighting the characteristics of the red ball, which moves more in the air and off the pitch and bounces differently.
Shubman Gill faced a challenging first Test against South Africa, recording scores of two and 26 as India lost by an innings and 32 runs within three days. Gill's aggressive attempts resulted in dismissals, drawing attention to the nuances of adapting to the red ball's behavior.
In the upcoming second Test, South Africa will be led by veteran opener Dean Elgar. Elgar, who played a pivotal role with a match-winning 185 in Centurion, will captain the side in his final Test before retiring from international cricket.
India, trailing 1-0 in the two-game series, aims to stage a comeback in the second Test, commencing on January 3 at Newlands in Cape Town.
India's likely XI for Cape Town Test vs. SA: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Abhimanyu Easwaran, KL Rahul (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Prasidh Krishna, Mukesh Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Avesh Khan.