Asia Cup 2023

'Bas bhai ab aur kuch mt bolna' - Fans react as World Cup winner Gautam Gambhir suggests India to play Rohit Sharma at number four

India will face Pakistan in their campaign opener on Saturday at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele

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Rohit Kumar
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Gautam Gambhir on Rohit Sharma

Gautam Gambhir on Rohit Sharma (Source: Twitter)

Ahead of India's iconic clash against Pakistan, former India opener Gautam Gambhir selected his top four batters for the Indian team. The two-time World Cup winner picked Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill as openers and suggested Rohit Sharma bat in the middle order to fully utilize the players. The Member of Parliament, Gambhir believes that wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan is not a good choice in the middle order.

It's worth noting that India will face Pakistan in their campaign opener on September 2 at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. Ahead of the game, Indian team management will be looking to field their best playing XI. Considering Ishan Kishan's performance in the middle order, the team might field him in the top order and push skipper Rohit Sharma down the order.

Speaking about the same, Gambhir said, "I have said earlier as well that if Ishan Kishan is playing, then he should open the innings along with Shubman Gill. This is not experimentation because, in the last series as well, Ishan was the opener. So I feel Rohit Sharma should come down at No. 4 and Virat Kohli should continue batting at No. 3. It's worth noting that Gambhir has been one of the biggest strengths of the Indian team during the ODI World Cup 2011.

"Don't look to survive; score runs", says Gautam Gambhir

Earlier, the 41-year-old asked Indian openers not to try to survive against the Pakistani bowling line-up. He asked them to score runs and put pressure on them during the game. "Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, your approach has to be clear against Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah. Look at scoring runs, not surviving. When you score runs, you are in better rhythm and have better backlift and footwork," Gambhir said on Star Sports' Game Plan.

"Often, people talk about Shaheen and Naseem troubling the Indian batters in the World Cup. But it's all in the past now. ODI is a different format; batters have time to settle into the crease. It's important to bat in positions where if you get a half-volley, you look to hit it, not just survive. The more positive you are, the more you create pressure. Keep it simple; the past is in the past. It's a new day, a new match, and a different format. Be in attack mode," he further added.

Here is how fans react to Gautam Gambhir's suggestion for Playing XI:

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