"KL Rahul is the incumbent opener" - Dinesh Karthik on Rohit Sharma's likely comeback for second Test against Bangladesh
Veteran India player Dinesh Karthik reckons Shubman Gill may have to make way for Rohit Sharma should he be declared fit for the second Test against Bangladesh in Mirpur. Karthik also thinks the tourists could stick with the same bowling unit, given their performance in Chattogram.
Gill, one of the reserve openers for India for a long time, scored an aggressive hundred in the second innings of the first Test against Bangladesh. However, KL Rahul being the vice-captain and with Rohit's likely return in Mirpur, the right-hander might have to miss out.
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Speaking on Cricbuzz chatter, Karthik said that removing Rahul based on one performance would be unfair, so Gill may have make way for Rohit in the second Test.
"It's sad to say, but I think Shubman Gill has to sit out because KL Rahul is the incumbent opener and the vice-captain of the team. You can't remove somebody on one performance. So, it would have to be Shubman Gill. I think they will play with the same eleven, but just the one change that Rohit Sharma could come in for Shubman Gill."
The Indian captain sustained a finger injury during the second ODI against Bangladesh in Mirpur. He came out to bat at No. 9 and stayed unbeaten on 51 as the hosts won a thriller. Rohit was subsequently ruled out of the third ODI and the first Test.
"What the Indian team would have learnt is to persist with consistent bowling" - Dinesh Karthik
Reflecting on India's 188-run win over Bangladesh, Karthik praised India's patience and KL Rahul's captaincy for not allowing the hosts to run away with the game despite Bangladesh's good start. The 37-year-old said:
"As a whole, what the Indian team would have learnt is to persist with consistent bowling. What I mean is yesterday when the Bangladesh openers had a good start, they couldn't run away with the game. The good thing that KL did is kept the run rate under three."
He continued:
"It is a bit of an unwritten rule that if the team is not losing wickets and if you keep the run rate under three, the opposition is not running away with the game. You want a certain sense of control on when wickets are not falling, and that was the good part about India's bowling yesterday."
Bangladesh vs India: 1st Test
India won by 188 runs.
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Unlike in their first innings, Bangladesh displayed much better temperament and application in the second as they batted for 113.2 overs to keep India at bay.