I believe Shubman Gill's best will come at No. 3 or 4: Aakash Chopra

Former India opener Aakash Chopra believes that Shubman Gill might be best suited at number three or four position in Test matches. He pointed out that Gill is not too comfortable with the ball swinging, even at home. Gill has been an opener for the majority of his Test career so far and is set to open again in the rescheduled Test against England, which gets underway on July 1.

When India toured England last year, KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma opened the batting for India. But now, Rahul has been ruled out due to a groin injury, and Rohit’s place is uncertain after he was tested positive for coronavirus through a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT). Chopra also stated that playing in a position Gill is not best suited at might not be ideal for the India batter, as he will not have another match in the series to bounce back if he fails.

“Shubman Gill is now surely going to be one of the openers for the rescheduled Test,” said Chopra on his YouTube channel. “But I am not a hundred percent certain that he’s the best choice for the position. I believe that his best will come at No.3 or No.4. We have seen that he isn’t too comfortable against when the ball starts to swing, even in home conditions,” he added. 

Mayank Agarwal is an unstoppable force: Aakash Chopra

“He’s (Gill) going to play just a single Test in England now. When you’re playing a series of five Tests, you have a chance of bouncing back even if you fail early on,” Chopra further said. Another opener waiting in the ranks is Mayank Agarwal, who lost his place to Gill early in 2021. 

Chopra further asserted that, although Agarwal is unstoppable in home conditions, he does not get many opportunities on overseas tours. He also highlighted that Mayank did not have a good outing in South Africa either. “Mayank Agarwal is an unstoppable force in India. He scores a lot of runs at home and that is why he is able to retain his place in the side for overseas tours. But he doesn’t get many opportunities in those games. He didn’t do well in South Africa and that’s why wasn’t included in the squad for the England Test,” opined Chopra.