Summary:
Kanpur, Nov 22 (PTI) The Indian team management, in all likelihood, will ask the talented Shubman Gill to bat in the middle-order in the upcoming Test series against New Zealand to see if the youngster can take on the attack in the absence of big guns, if required.
It is understood that Shubman has been told that he would batt in the middle-order in the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur, where Ajinkya Rahane will lead the team in the absence of Virat Kohli, who is on a break.
With no Rohit Sharma for the two-Test series, it is an ideal opportunity for the team management to check out Gill"s prowess as a middle-order batter in the long run when both Kohli and Rohit will be back for the South Africa tour.
KL Rahul, as of now, is a certainty at the top of the pack and his fine show in England has only reaffirmed his status as one of the most stylish Indian batters in the current team.
He will open with Mayank Agarwal against the BlackCaps.
But how would it be to see Shubman in the middle-order? Former national selector Jatin Paranjape, who was part of the panel that handed a Test debut to Gill in Australia, feels that it won"t be a very bad idea.