Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir refused to give any information about India's playing XI for the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 at Perth Stadium. While there is doubts over whether Rohit Sharma will play the series opener, Gambhir was asked about his probable replacement opener. Gambhir did not give a definitive answer on whether Abhimanyu Easwaran or KL Rahul will open in that scenario. However, he backed Rahul for his ability to bat at any position as he faces major backlash after a few low scores.
"Obviously there is [Abhimanyu] Easwaran and there is [KL [Rahul] there. So we will take a call closer to the first Test match if Rohit is not available," Gambhir said in the press conference. "There are options there, it's not that there are no options there. There are quite a few options in the squad.
"Once it gets closer to the first Test match, we'll plan and play the best playing XI that's going to do the job for us."
Gambhir lauded Rahul as a unique player. He pointed out that not many teams in the world have the luxury of having a player as versatile as him. He hinted that if Rohit is not available, Rahul may open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal against Pat Cummins-led side.
"There are times when you go with the experienced players as well. And that is the quality of the man. That he can bat at the top of the order, he can bat at No. 3 and he can actually bat at No. 6 as well," Gambhir said of Rahul. "You need quite a lot of talent to be doing these kinds of jobs as well. And he's kept wickets in the one-day format as well.
"Imagine how many countries have players like KL who can open the batting and can bat at No. 6 as well? So I feel if need be, he can do the job for us, especially if Rohit is not available for the first Test match."
Rahul fails in A game
Rahul arrived early in Australia and played a match against the A side. He did not fare well at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) registering scores of 4 and 10. Earlier, he scored 12 runs in the Bengaluru Test against New Zealand before getting dropped.
Rahul's record in Australia
The 32-year-old batter does not have a good record on Australian soil in red-ball format. He has scored 187 runs from five Tests at an average of 20.77 including one century.