Former Cricketer Urges Virat Kohli to Bat at Number Three in Gill's Absence
The absence of skipper Rohit Sharma and batsman Shubman Gill has posed a challenge for the Indian team management ahead of the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. India doesn't only need another opener to bat with Yashasvi Jaiswal but also the No. 3 batsman in place of the injured Gill. While KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal's names have been mentioned for two spots, India's 1983 World Cup-winning star Kirti Azad feels head coach Gautam Gambhir should play Virat Kohli at the No. 3 spot.
Kohli has batted at the No. 3 spot in all three formats for India during his illustrious career. However, he has held the No. 4 spot for some time now. But, in Gill's absence, Azad feels Kohli is the best fit batsman for the one-down spot.
"I think Kohli is the best choice at number three. He has scored at number three (across all formats) and you should always keep your best batsman at number three. We start asking questions to players if they don't perform well, maybe in a series or maybe in a few innings," Kirti Azad told a news agency.
With Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sarfaraz Khan and a few other options available, the fact that Azad is advocating Kohli's name for the No. 3 spot, especially given his form, is unexpected.
He further said,
"But I think he has done a humanitarian service to the country, and we expect him to do well again and I'm sure he'll be in form. They love challenges, although in Australia it is a tough one."
Kohli's form is currently a big challenge for the Indian team. He crossed the 50-run mark only once in 6 innings against New Zealand. The talismanic batsman has scored only one half-century in his last 10 innings in the longest format of the game. However, experts expect India to begin their campaign against Australia with a bang and fans will get to see the Old Virat Kohli again.