India has played with six left-handers in their line-up in the first Test, and off-spinner Simon Harmer feasted on his match-up advantage in the Test match with eight wickets. To add salt to the wounds of India’s wounds, India’s Shubman Gill too was injured in the Kolkata Test, and there is uncertainty if he will take part in the game at Guwahati. Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra suggested that India can turn to Ruturaj Raikwad, who has been in good form can be involved in the side who is not part of the squad, as the batters available on the bench are two more left-handers in Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal.
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“Should Ruturaj Gaikwad be selected in the Test team? You might be wondering how he can be selected as the team is already selected, and no one has gone out. There is still no clarity on Shubman Gill’s participation. He has been discharged from the hospital, but there is still a question mark over his participation,” the former India opener said.
“Just in case he doesn’t become available, you will have to play someone. You have Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal sitting outside – two more left-handers. You have six left-handers in the XI at the moment. Do you want to go with seven left-handers? You want to change that, maybe,” he added.
“He is in excellent form. He is scoring runs for India A in white-ball cricket. Don’t know why he is not played in the days’ format when the India A team plays, but wherever he is playing, whether it’s the Ranji Trophy or the Duleep Trophy, he has been scoring the runs,” he said.
“He even bats in the middle order. He looks technically compact. It seems like he has been made to play Tests, and this is the same ground where he struck a T20I century vs Australia. So I am building a case for him that if there is any chance of Shubman Gill not playing, paradrop and bring him in,” Chopra observed.
