"Form is a key factor" - Sunil Gavaskar on Shubman Gill's chances of featuring in 1st IND vs SL 2022 Test

Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar believes Shubman Gill might not find a place in Team India's playing XI for the Test series opener against Sri Lanka in Mohali.

Speaking on Sports Tak, Gavaskar pointed out that Gill has been out of action for a while now due to an injury and does not expect him to walk directly into the starting XI.

The 72-year-old reckoned that Mayank Agarwal has scored big runs in recent home encounters and hence is likely to retain his place as an opener.

Furthermore, he also pointed out that Hanuma Vihari was impressive in the limited opportunities he had in South Africa and deserves yet another chance. Gavaskar said:

"Shubman Gill hasn't played much international cricket in the last two months or so because of injury. If you want to play for India, then you need some sort of practice.

"He surely has the talent, but form is also a key factor. Mayank Agarwal has always scored big runs at home. He may not have had the same success overseas, but he is consistent at home.

"Hanuma Vihari can bat at number 3. What has he done wrong? He got 1 or 2 chances in South Africa in which he played well with the tail. He should surely get one more opportunity."

Gavaskar added that Shreyas Iyer has been in tremendous form and could very well be the number 5 in the batting order.

However, he opined that positions could be swapped depending on the situation and Virat Kohli could also be promoted to number 3 if the start is good.

"Number 3 and 5 can also be swapped depending on the situation. Kohli could also be moved to number 3 if there is a good opening stand. The Indian team will benefit from this flexibility."

India and Sri Lanka will battle it our in the opening Test of their two-match series starting Friday (March 4). The highly-anticipated clash will be played at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali.

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"India should go with three fast bowlers" - Sunil Gavaskar

The cricketer-turned-commentator suggested that Team India should look to play three pacers as the wicket at Mohali has been known to be conducive to fast bowling. He underlined that Sri Lankan batters are more comfortable against spinners than seamers.

Gavaskar picked Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin as the two spin bowling options Rohit Sharma and co. should opt for as they can also contribute with the bat lower down the order.

He added:

"India should go with three fast bowlers as the Mohali wicket has often supported the pacers. Sri Lankan players play spin well, but they don't play that well against seam. So I feel two spinners will be enough. And both Jadeja and Ashwin are very good batters too and they add depth to our batting."

Sunil Gavaskar's preferred Indian XI:

Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Hanuma Vihari, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, and Umesh Yadav.

Watch the full video here: