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'Sure, Rahul is vice-captain. But...': Azharuddin's fiery verdict settles 'KL vs Shubman Gill' debate ahead of 1st Test

By, Dubai
Feb 12, 2023 09:21 AM IST

Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin had a no-nonsense verdict on the debate over Shubman Gill and KL Rahul ahead of the opening Test of the series against Australia.

The all-awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy begins on February 9 with the first Test in Nagpur. The qualification for the World Test Championship final remains at stake -- particularly for hosts India -- as both sides renew their rivalry. The pitch being prepared for the opening match at the VCA Stadium has garnered the spotlight already, with the Australian media highlighting concerns after ground staff watered and rolled only certain areas of the match wicket on Tuesday evening, leaving other parts drier.

KL Rahul; Mohammad Azharuddin; Shubman Gill(File)
KL Rahul; Mohammad Azharuddin; Shubman Gill(File)

This comes after significant debate on pitch conditions in the country as the build-up to the Test series; former Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy had notably made a no-holds-barred remark, stating the visitors could have the edge if India produce "fair wickets", but will fail on "unfair" conditions. There are many in India and abroad who have criticised Healy’s comments on the pitch, and the latest to join the list is former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin.

The former batter, who represented the country in 99 Tests, quashed Healy’s remarks on spinning pitches being “unfair,” further adding that the home team should always be taking advantage of its conditions.

“Not unfair. When you play in India, you expect the wickets to turn. We are playing the home advantage, so I don’t think there’s any reason why anybody should have a problem with that,” Azharuddin told Hindustan Times in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the DP World ILT20. Azharuddin is on the commentary team for the franchise tournament in the UAE.

“You will have to battle it out. It is going to be a challenge for both of the teams. India has a bunch of great spinners but if you look at the Australian side, they also have spinners who can exploit the conditions really well,” the former Indian captain further added.

Rahul or Gill?

KL Rahul makes a return to the Indian team after he was given a break in India’s last assignment against New Zealand. The batter also retained his vice-captaincy role in Tests but one player who has impressed players and fans alike with his consistent outings is 23-year-old Shubman Gill. The young batter from Punjab scored a double century in ODIs last month, and also became the youngest Indian to smash tons in all three formats of the game.

Rahul and Gill had opened together in India’s previous Test series against Bangladesh, with the latter also smashing a century during the first Test. However, Rohit Sharma hadn’t been a part of the squad at the time due to an injury and Rahul led the side. Since form has deserted the stylish Karnataka batter over the past few months, there have been speculations over whether Gill would be preferred over Rahul in the opening role – at least in the first Test against Australia.

Azharuddin says Team India should promote new players irrespective of designations like ‘vice-captain’.

“It depends on what the combination is,” Azharuddin tells us. “To be honest, I believe a newer player should be given a chance. Sure, KL Rahul is vice-captain, but I think the players who are performing well… they need to be looked into as well,” the former India skipper says with conviction.

Need big runs from Kohli

Last year, Virat Kohli made a blistering return to form in the shortest format of the game as he ended a long wait for a 71st international century during an Asia Cup tie against Afghanistan. Since then, the batting great added three more hundreds to his name – all coming in ODIs. As Kohli returns to the Test format on the back of an excellent form in limited-overs cricket, Azharduddin expects raining runs from the star batter.

“I’m happy he’s doing well. The whole country is happy to see him do well. Hopefully, he will have a good series and score loads of run in the four Tests. Kohli staying in the wicket will be very, very important,” Azharuddin says.

The former skipper further mentions that Kohli’s standards don’t allow him to be content with a half-century anymore. "He needs to score big. People think if he scores a fifty, he has failed. But he's a senior player, so he is expected to score big,” Azharuddin added.

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