IND vs WI Test: Rohit opens up on Playing Positions

Posted at: July 12, 2023

IND vs WI 2023

Just In! Rohit Sharma opens up on playing combinations ahead of the IND vs WI 1st Test. Rohit Sharma said that Yashasvi Jaiswal would open their innings along with Yashasvi Jaiswal. While Shubman Gill will play at the No 3 spot as the place is vacant after Cheteshwar Pujara’s exclusion. Rohit further said that the decision was taken of moving Shubman to the middle order after the prolific player requested Rahul Dravid.

“For the batting positions, Gill will play at No. 3. He himself has said that he had a chat with Rahul Dravid and said that he’s played his entire career at 3 and 4, and that he can perform better for the team at No. 3. And for us also it becomes better because we have a left-right opening combination. So that is what we’ll try to do and hopefully, this will go on for the long term.

“We have wanted a left-hander for a long time and we’ve got one now and let’s hope he performs well for the team and can really make his spot his own,” Rohit in the pre-match press conference in Dominica.

IND vs WI 1st Test will witness the return of R Ashwin

For the unversed, Dominica’s pitch has always favored spinners which is a boon for India. Looking at the nature of Dominica’s pitch, team management has named R Ashwin into the Test Squad for the first Test. Notably, he was excluded from the WTC 2023 Final, looking at the nature of the pitch at the Ovals.

“Looking at the wicket, it looks like we’ll play with two spinners and three seamers. Because of what we’ve seen here, 2017 was the last Test played here, and a lot of wickets were taken by the spinners. Having practiced here as well and with the bounce, we feel that we have to go with the 3-2 combination,” said Rohit.

“All these guys were on the radar and the selectors were watching them closely, I’m glad they could be rewarded,” he remarked on the youngsters picked for the series.

“There are also a couple of guys who missed out but unfortunately you can get only 15-16 players but everyone’s time will come. Looking forward, Indian cricket desperately needed a lefthander and we found a very good player in Jaiswal. He looks very promising and so is Ruturaj. Gill has obviously been playing good cricket for a year now and hope he continues his good form. Ruturaj has good potential in red-ball cricket, he has shown us in T20 cricket what he can do. It’s time for him to show…and pretty sure he is also looking forward to getting more and more runs for the Indian team. It’s always good for Indian cricket when you have guys like these coming in.”

IND vs WI 1st Test: Rohit Sharma also opened up on the issue of less experience Pace Attack

Rohit Sharma addressed the issue of having a less experienced pace attack. He said that workload management is critical for the player’s well-being & they are practicing that. He also highlighted the fact that the management has to concentrate on all the series & accordingly name the squad. It’s important for them to rotate players & give opportunities to new players. This in turn creates bench strength & provides an opportunity for players to rest & come back fresh.

“Jaydev [Unadkat] is not a new guy, he’s been playing for 10-12 years, he made his debut then. Mukesh Kumar has come in with some consistent performances, he’s done well for his state, zonal, and India A teams. We’ll see what combination we’ll play with,” said Rohit.

Also read, Nitish Rana To Lead North Zone In Deodhar Trophy 2023

Sarah Shaikh

Creative & Passionate Writer, currently writing my heart out for my favorite sports, Cricket. Die-hard Virat fan & an ardent follower of Indian Premier league, I love to write in-depth match reports & feature articles on renowned cricketers. Bagging experience of writing for leading local publications, I have also worked with some top brands helping them in creating a standout social media identity through my engaging content. A cup of tea & a perfect clutter of words is what I am always fond of!