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'He couldn't find his place' - Abhishek Nayar gives reason behind excluding Shubman Gill from the Boxing Day Test (Source: X)
Abhishek Nayar opened up on excluding Shubman Gill from India's playing XI in the fourth Test against Australia in the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25. The Indian assistant coach said the decision was taken as Washington Sundar was a better fit to play in Melbourne over Gill. He confirmed that Gill was not dropped and the decision was made due to the nature of the pitch.
"A lot of the decisions when they are made and the process of it being made, the communication is always there, transparency is there. It's obvious that we felt, looking at the pitch, that Washy in the bowling attack will give us a variation, especially towards the end once the ball gets old," said Nayar in the press conference.
Abhishek felt there was a need for a bowler for the phase after completing 50 overs. He felt Sundar gave solidarity as a spinner apart from his batting abilities. Nayar felt Washington was a good matchup against Travis Head and Alex Carey, two of the best Australian batters of the series so far.
'Rohit will open the innings' - Abhishek Nayar
As Sundar replaced Gill, a question was raised about Rohit's batting position. Abhishek confirmed that the Indian captain would bat in the top order. He felt the star batter might open the innings for India. "Yes, Rohit Sharma will come up in the order, and more likely, he will open the innings," Nayar added.
Nayar could not help but feel sorry for Shubman, who had to miss out due to the team combination. He confirmed that Gill was not dropped from the team but was made to sit due to the team combination. "Unfortunately for him, just how things panned out, he had to miss out," Nayar added.
"Sometimes I just feel that for a young player, in a position like that, big day, he wants to make a mark; he understands that it's the team's requirement. It's unfortunate, but I wouldn't say that he's dropped per se; it’s just that he couldn't find his place in this game," Abhishek concluded.