Shubman Gill To Not Open, Virat Kohli At No. 4: Sunil Gavaskar Picks India XI For 1st Test Against South Africa

Legendary Indian cricket team Sunil Gavaskar picked the playing XI for the first Test match against South Africa starting December 26 in Centurion and there were a couple of massive changes in the batting order. Gavaskar picked Rohit Sharma and youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal as the openers with Shubman Gill coming out to bat at No.3.and Virat Kohli at No. 4. KL Rahul was his wicket-keeper pick with Shreyas Iyer accompanying him in the middle order. Gavaskar said that both Rahul and Shreyas are good batters and it will depend on the situation to decide who bats at No. 5 and who comes out at No. 6. 

In the bowling department, Gavaskar picked both spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in his playing XI. Among the pacers, the former India skipper picked Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj with Mukesh Kumar being his third choice.

Meanwhile, Ruturaj Gaikwad has been ruled out of the upcoming two-match Test series against South Africa, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Saturday.

The first Test of the two-match series between India and South Africa will begin on Boxing Day at the Centurion, with the second Test set to begin on 3 January in Capetown.

Gaikwad suffered an injury to his right ring finger while fielding in the second ODI against South Africa in Gqeberha.

He underwent scans, and following an expert consultation, the BCCI Medical Team ruled him out of the remainder of the tour. Abhimanyu Easwaran has been named as Gaikwad's replacement in the squad.

"He will be reporting to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for further management of his injury. The Men's Selection Committee has named Abhimanyu Easwaran as his replacement," a statement from BCCI read.

Due to a finger injury, the opener was unable to participate in the third and final ODI against the Proteas on Thursday. At the toss, captain KL Rahul reported that Gaikwad was benched due to "some damage to his finger" and that Rajat Patidar took his place in the playing XI, making his debut in the ODI.

"(He) hasn't fully recovered from the blow he sustained to his ring finger while fielding in the second ODI. He remains under the supervision of the BCCI Medical Team," the BCCI stated before the start of the third and final ODI on Thursday.

Gavaskar's picks for India playing XI in 1st Test match against South Africa: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

Topics mentioned in this article

Shubman Gill Ruturaj Gaikwad Virat Kohli Rohit Sharma Sunil Gavaskar KL Rahul India Cricket Team South Africa Cricket Team South Africa vs India Cricket