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As India takes on hosts England in a five-match Test series, speculations, analysis, and social media buzz are at their peak. Among the many voices weighing in, former India opener Aakash Chopra has shared his thoughts on the Indian team—especially on skipper Shubman Gill—as the side begins a new chapter without their experienced stalwarts.
Shubhman Gill’s shift in the batting order surprises Aakash Chopra
In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Aakash stated that It is now confirmed that Gill will bat at number 4 in the upcoming Test series. Interestingly, his journey in the format began as an opener, making his transition down the order quite unusual. In Test cricket, it’s more common for players to move up the batting order rather than down. Such a shift is rare, especially in the Indian context, and not many examples come to mind.
“Now it’s confirmed that Shubham will bat at number 4. It is quite interesting if you look at his career he started from open and how it reached number 4. It is a very interesting journey. This is a very rare sight people moving down the order in Test cricket. Generally people move up the order. I don’t really recall such players especially in Indian context,” Aakash said.
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Aakash reflects on Joe Root’s threat
Aakash also pointed out that the Indian batting line-up has a total of 29 Test centuries, while Joe Root alone has 36. In a light-hearted manner, he remarked that it almost seems like Root versus India. He warned that Root could be a major threat, given his ability to score heavily and consistently. However, Chopra also reminded that similar concerns were raised in the past about South Africa’s batters and Steve Smith, who were ahead in both runs and centuries, yet Proteas still managed to handle those challenges effectively.
“Indian batting order has got 29 centuries and Root has alone 36. what’s going on is it Root vs India (He said in funny tone). He can be a root cause for our team. He can be dangerous because he has scored too many runs. However the same thing we said for South Africa and Steve Smith when smith was ahead in runs as well as centuries,” Aakash added.
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