Harbhajan Singh suggests Team India’s best opening combination for Border–Gavaskar Trophy 2022-23
Captain Rohit Sharma is an automatic pick for the opening slot.
When Team India and Australia lock horns with each other, there will be moments that will define the fate of the game. Both teams have plenty of top players at their disposal who are capable of roughhousing the other in the Border Gavaskar Trophy series.
The first Test match between India and Australia will be held on February 9, Thursday at VCA Stadium in Nagpur. Meanwhile, the two teams have been prepping for the epic battle for quite a while now. Australia have struggled to find a way to decipher the challenges in India.
The last time they found a solution to beat India was back in 2004 when they won the series by 2-1 under the captaincy of Adam Gilchrist. Since then, Aussies failed to find a way to tackle the threats posed by India in India.
It is absolutely significant for Team India to come up with the right playing XI such that they can start the series on an optimistic note. The last time when Aussies toured India in 2017, they won the first Test before going on to lose the series by 2-1.
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Habhajan Singh backs Shubman Gill ahead of KL Rahul
Former India’s off-spinner Harbhajan Singh reckons Shubman Gill should open alongside captain Rohit Sharma for the Border Gavaskar Trophy series against the Australian cricket team. The Turbanator preferred Shubman Gill to KL Rahul in the upcoming four-match Test series.
The former cricketer also went on to explain why the team management should omit KL Rahul and pick Shubman Gill as Rohit Sharma’s opening partner for the Test series. Talking about the same on his official YouTube channel, Harbhajan said Shubman Gill is in the form of his life. He further echoed that Shubman Gill should open with Rohit Sharma if Team India wants to win the Test series.
“The opening partnership is the most important thing. Openers set the tone in any series. According to me, India’s openers in the Australia series should be Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. In the form he is in, Gill is on another level,” he added.
“Even though KL Rahul is a top player, his stats (across all formats in 2022) are not favouring him at the moment. Whereas Gill is in the form of his life. He has shattered multiple records in recent months,” he echoed.
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