K L Rahul or Shubman Gill?
With Rohit Sharma set to miss the first Test against Australia in Perth, starting on November 22, India's team management faces a crucial decision in selecting his replacement at the top of the order.
While Vice-Captain Jasprit Bumrah will lead the team in Rohit's absence, India are still uncertain about who will partner Yashasvi Jaiswal in the series opener.
A strong opening combination is vital for the Indians to lay the foundation on what is likely to be a challenging pitch in Perth, which could also prove decisive in setting the tone for the rest of the five-match series.
Bengal's prolific run scorer Abhimanyu Easwaran was picked as the designated back-up opener for the Australia Tests in case Rohit was unavailable, but his scores in the two India A practice matches -- where he failed to score more than 20 in four innings -- has complicated India's decision.
Before his departure to Australia, Head Coach Gautam Gambhir suggested that they are looking at the experienced K L Rahul as an option to open the batting.
'There are times when you go with the experienced players as well. And that is the quality of the man. That he can bat at the top of the order, he can bat at No. 3 and he can actually bat at No. 6 as well,' Gambhir stated.
'Imagine how many countries have players like KL who can open the batting and can bat at No. 6 as well? So I feel if need be, he can do the job for us, especially if Rohit is not available for the first Test match.'
However, Rahul's woeful recent form while batting in the middle order doesn't help his cause. He failed with the bat in the Bengaluru Test against New Zealand before he was rushed to play for India A in the second unofficial Test against where he again disappointed, managing just 7 and 10 at the MCG.
Yet, what works in Rahul's favour is his experience as a Test opener, where he has played in 44 out of 53 Tests since making his debut in Australia in 2014-2015, scoring 2,551 runs at an average of 34, with seven centuries and 12 fifties.
Notably, Rahul's maiden Test hundred came as an opener, against Australia in the Sydney Test in 2015, with seven out of his eight Test hundreds coming away from home.
Rahul switched to the middle order in the South Africa series in December last year, where he made a good start with a century in Centurion before inconsistency caused his downfall. After that hundred, he managed just two fifties in nine innings, and continues to be in and out of the team.
On the other hand, Easwaran has been rewarded for consistent performances in domestic cricket, amassing 7,674 runs in 101 first class games at an average of 48 with 27 centuries.
The 29-year-old opener went through a dream run in red ball cricket, hitting four centuries in a row -- two in the Duleep Trophy and once each in the Irani Cup and the Ranji Trophy. But he has found the going tough in Australian conditions, with scores of 7, 12, 0 and 17 in the four innings for India A.
It remains to be seen if India gamble with Easwaran = on a Perth pitch which is likely to provide a lot of assistance for pace bowlers.
A safer option could be promoting Shubman Gill back to the opening slot since Rohit is likely to miss just one match. This could give them the option of retaining Rahul in the middle order and might also them to include the in-form Dhruv Jurel, who stroked two fifties for India in the second match against Australia A.
Gill started out as the opener but struggled for consistency which eventually made him to ask the team management to switch him to No 3. As opener, Gill scored 874 runs in 16 Tests at a below-par average of 32, with just two centuries.
Since moving to his preferred No 3 position last year, Gill's record has improved considerably with 879 runs in 13 Tests at an average of 41, with three centuries. He also failed to make an impact during the New Zealand series, where except for one good knock of 90, he failed in the other three innings.
Will India revert Gill to the opening position, or take a chance on the out-of-form Rahul, or show faith in the uncapped Easwaran?
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