WTC final: "Jadeja at number seven and Ashwin at number eight"- VVS Laxman gives his views on India's batting lineup
VVS Laxman gave his predictions for the Indian batting order for the inaugural ICC World Test Championship final. The former Indian batsman selected both Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin in the lineup.
In a press conference organized by Star Sports before the WTC final, VVS Laxman, Ian Bishop and Shane Bond spoke about the upcoming battle between India and New Zealand. When asked for his predictions for the Indian batting order, Laxman replied:
"I would go with five batsmen, Rishabh as the wicket-keeper batsman at number six, and I've got a lot of belief in Jadeja at number seven and Ashwin at number eight. Jadeja is a more than capable batsman who can now play match-winning knocks under pressure. So, I would back Jadeja to bat at number seven."
VVS Laxman offered some advice to all the Indian batters and said they need to play the ball a little late on the English pitches. He also backed India to win the ICC World Test Championship.
India is fortunate to have a player like Mayank Agarwal on the bench: VVS Laxman
Rohit Sharma has cemented his place as the Indian Test team's opener. However, his partner Shubman Gill struggled in the home series against England. In his last three Test matches, Gill does not have a single 15+ score.
VVS Laxman, however, still backs the 21-year-old to play as an opener ahead of Mayank Agarwal.
"Shubman Gill is a wonderful talent. He has shown what he is capable of doing under pressure in the Brisbane Test match against Australia. So, I would back Shubman Gill. Also, in the intrasquad match, he got an 80+ score so he is in good rhythm. I would still back Shubman Gill to open with Rohit Sharma," said Laxman.
"India is fortunate to have a player like Mayank Agarwal on the bench. He also has done well in Test match cricket. But at the moment, I would back Shubman Gill to open with Rohit in this match," added VVS Laxman.
The WTC final will begin this Friday in Southampton. It will be interesting to see if Shubman Gill gets an opportunity to open for Team India in the big game.