Shubman Gill, the rising star of Indian cricket, is set to make a significant change in the upcoming five-match Test series against England. He’s not only taking on the captaincy but also positioning himself at the crucial No. 4 batting spot. This move has raised eyebrows among analysts and fans alike. The series opener is scheduled to take place at Headingley, Leeds.
Former cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra weighed in on this unusual decision. He highlighted the rarity of a player, especially an opener, voluntarily moving down the batting order in Test cricket. Gill’s career has primarily seen him in the opening slot or at No. 3 in his 32 Test appearances.
With Virat Kohli’s retirement leaving a void at No. 4, Gill has chosen to step up. Chopra, speaking on his YouTube channel, emphasized how uncommon it is for a batsman to make such a positional change in red-ball cricket. He noted Gill’s unique journey, going from opener to the No. 4 position, a shift rarely seen.
Chopra observed that in Indian cricket, players often move up the order over time. He cited Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli as examples of players who started lower down and later became No. 4 batsmen. In contrast, batsmen like Virender Sehwag and Rohit Sharma remained at the opening position throughout their Test careers.
Chopra added that while players generally advance in the batting order, transitioning from opener to the middle order is a rare phenomenon. He couldn’t recall many instances of this happening, at least not in the Indian team in recent years.