IND vs WI Test: Did management give Shubman Gill no. 3 spot just because he asked for it?

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"Gill will play at No. 3 because he himself wants to play at that position." This is what India captain Rohit Sharma said when asked about India's playing eleven ahead of the first Test against West Indies in Dominica.

"He discussed with Rahul (Dravid) and told him that 'I've played all my cricket at 3 and 4, I think I can do better for my team if I bat at No. 3," Rohit added while revealing that Yashasvi Jaiswal would debut and open alongside him and Gill will come in at three, just ahead of Virat Kohli.

Does that mean that the players in the Indian team would be given the choice of their batting position?

Former cricketer Aakash Chopra has said the development is interesting as no one before has asked for it and nor has anyone been "got that luxury".

"Generally, such a thing is not heard in Indian cricket where a player goes and says that he likes to bat at a particular position and whether he can do that. Neither does anyone ask nor is anyone given that luxury," the cricketer-turned-commentator said on his YouTube channel.

Did India realled just granted Gill's 'WISH' to bat three?

No. It's highly unlikely. Neither is Shubman Gill a very senior player with a huge stature nor has his Test batting performance been extraordinary. In 16 Test matches, the right-hander has scored 921 runs at an average of 32.89. He has opened in 15 of these matches.

The Punjab batter has played only one innings at number three and scored 47 runs in it. The innings was against New Zealand at Wankhede in December 2021.

The Indian captain himself gave the answer and one should not miss it. He said, "It becomes good for us also, we got a left-hander. Indian cricket desperately needed a left-hander. We found Yashasvi Jaiswal. He looks very promising. Let's hope he (Jaiswal) performs for his team and makes the spot his own."

Gill at three suits Team India and not only him

With Yashasvi Jaiswal in the Indian team, India has the liberty to go in with a right-hand, left-hand opening pair now. Not to forget Jaiswal is a born opener unlike Gill who was promoted up the order after the ouster of Shikhar Dhawan and Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul's injury and lack of form, and no other spot available to grab.

Now that Cheteshwar Pujara has been shown the exit door, the number three spot is up for grabs and the management would also want someone young and talented to make that spot his own for a long time.

Shubman Gill has already established himself in the Indian Test team. Having initially played an opener, he has proved his mettle and he is without a shadow of doubt best man to fill the all-important spot.

Also, the debut of a very talented Yashasvi Jaiswal would have been delayed in case the opening slot was not vacant. That in turn would have opened a debut opportunity for Ruturaj Gaikwad at three. The Maharashtra batter also opens in domestic cricket.

The management just have managed a very delicate slotting problem of top-order batters in a manner which hasn't disappointed any of the key parties. Deep down Rohit and Dravid knew that Gill had always wanted to bat at three and the overall scenario developed in a manner that the top-order picked itself. A win-win situation for everyone.

Gill has obviously not been given the number three spot just because he asked for it. In the presence of an in-from Cheteshwar Pujara, Gill would not have even dared to "ask" and the management would not have granted him the "luxury". There's nothing interesting about it.

Even a fit Shreyas Iyer or KL Rahul cannot return and ask to take Ajinkya Rahane's spot with the veteran Mumbaikar scoring runs for the country.