Three openers were supposed to play, so one had to go at No. 3 and proposal came from Shubman's end: Vikram Rathour

Shubman Gill opted to bat at number three in the Indian Test team after excelling as an opener across all formats of the game. The 23-year-old recommended India head coach Rahul Dravid that he will bat at the No. 3 batting position prior to the first Test against the West Indies.

Indian batting coach Vikram Rathour has shown his support for Gill, who bats at number three. He explained that since there are currently three openers, one had to bat at No. 3, and the request was made by the youngster that he will go to third position. He added that the batter also said that he has played all of his cricket for Punjab and India A at No. 3 or 4, which is his natural position in the longest format of the game.

"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 at a press conference as quoted by India Today.

We can't judge Gill on the basis of one innings: Rathour

Rathour went on to say that one innings cannot be used to assess Gill’s batting. The batting coach also stated that the 23-year-old batter has the technique and temperament to play time if needed and can also play an aggressive game. Notably, while Gill struggled with the bat, Yashasvi Jaiswal (173), Rohit Sharma (103), and Virat Kohli (76) emerged as India's best run scorers in the first Test. India scored 421-5 in their first innings and outplayed the West Indies by an innings and 141 runs at Windsor Park in Dominica.

"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," the batting coach added.