With Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane out of India's Test squad, following a string of low scores, the middle order wore a new look in the first game against Sri Lanka in Mohali. At No. 3 was Hanuma Vihari, who hasn't done badly in the limited opportunities he has got and scored a fifty to prove himself more than capable of batting at one down. On the other hand, batting at No. 5 was Shreyas Iyer, who has looked like a million bucks since making his Test debut against New Zealand. (Also Read: 'Virat feels as if 'It's only me. I am the king of this place'': Kohli's former teammates; 'People said he had attitude')
With so many options to pick and choose, the legendary Sunil Gavaskar picked his top five for India in Tests and backed Vihari to bat at the delicate No. 3 spot in Tests. The India legend even explained why Mayank Agarwal deserved to be picked over Shubman Gill, who too is part of the Test squad and has scores of 52, 47 and 44 in his last three innings.
"He (Gill) hasn't played any form of cricket in the last two months. He did not even play Ranji Trophy so if you have to play for India, you need some or the other type of practice. Of course, he has the talent, there is no doubt about it. But in the end, it is also about form," Gavaskar said on Sports Tak.
"And if you see carefully, Mayank Agarwal always scores big in India's home series. He bats like a boss in India but doesn't score runs overseas. In home series, he has at least one big hundred or a double century. So, he should definitely open. And at No. 3 there is Hanuma Vihari. What has he done wrong? In South Africa, in the one opportunity he got, he steadied the tail and batted defiantly, adding runs in India's second innings. So he should get opportunities."
Gavaskar sounded in favour of Iyer batting at No. 5, and rightly so. He came off three fifties of the trot against Sri Lanka and began his Test career in style against New Zealand, scoring a century on debut.
{{/usCountry}}Gavaskar sounded in favour of Iyer batting at No. 5, and rightly so. He came off three fifties of the trot against Sri Lanka and began his Test career in style against New Zealand, scoring a century on debut.
{{/usCountry}}"As for Shreyas Iyer, the kind of form he showed in the white-ball series (against Sri Lanka), and the way he started off his Test career in December against New Zealand, I think this should be our top five," mentioned the former India captain.