Sunil Gavaskar warns India about this bold ‘Boxing Day’ change: ‘Can’t Drop…’

As the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy reaches a critical juncture with a 1-1 draw, Team India faces significant selection issues ahead of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The aftermath of the third Test at the Gabba, which ended in a hard-fought draw, has sparked a wave of planned and speculative changes, with legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar weighing in on the decisions the Indian team management must make.

The most significant change came with the sudden retirement of Ravichandran Ashwin, one of India’s greatest all-rounders, immediately after the third Test at the Gabba in Brisbane. Ashwin’s absence has left a huge hole in the squad, both in terms of his tactical prowess and his unmatched spinner skills.

Rookie off-spin all-rounder Tanush Kotian has been named as Ashwin’s successor, marking a new chapter for India’s spin department.

Among the many speculations surrounding the Indian lineup, one of the biggest debates revolves around Nitish Kumar Reddy’s place in the XI. While some believe that Washington should replace Sundar Reddy to give India an additional spin option, Gavaskar strongly rejects this idea. “You cannot dump Nitish Kumar Reddy. He is the fourth sailor. I can’t imagine India competing with just two pacers and Nitish. For me, it’s pretty much that eleven that plays in Melbourne,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.

Despite being a reliable batsman in the lower league, Reddy struggled to make an impact with the ball in the series. However, Gavaskar believes his ability to make crucial breakthroughs and his contributions with the bat make him indispensable to the balance of the team. The Indian think tank is also considering a reshuffle at the top of the batting order. According to reports, Rohit Sharma could return to his preferred role as an opener. The addition of Rohit at the top would require a reconfiguration of the middle order.

If Rohit opens, KL Rahul could be slotted at No.3, replacing the struggling Shubman Gill. Gill, who hasn’t been at his best in this series, could either slip to No. 4 or be replaced entirely by Dhurv Jurel.

India’s pace bowling line-up has also been a matter of debate. Akash Deep, whose exploits with the bat helped India avoid injury at the Gabba, is likely to retain his place. Gavaskar rejected the idea of ​​replacing him with Harshit Rana, stating, “It is unlikely that Harshit will replace Akash Deep. “Why would you drop a man who saved your team from succession?”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)