Shubman Gill dropped as India shock with unconventional batting line-up; Washington Sundar returns to the XI

India made a surprising decision by omitting Shubman Gill for the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia at the MCG in Melbourne. The team opted for just five designated batters, including keeper Rishabh Pant, with all-rounder Washington Sundar taking Gill's place in the XI. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Akash Deep retained their spots in the team, giving India six bowling options, including two spinners, for the first time in the series. It will be interesting to see how this lineup performs on the seamer-friendly MCG pitch during the Boxing Day test.

India captain Rohit Sharma also confirmed that would be back at the top of the order with Yashasvi Jaiswal. "Yes, I will," said Rohit at the toss after Ravi Shastri asked whether he will open the batting. He had sacrificed his opening position for KL Rahul in the second and the third and the fourth Test match which did not go down well. In the Boxing Day Test, Rahul is set to bat at No.3.

The official Indian team sheet shared by BCCI, however, listed Rahul and Jaiswal as openers while Rohit was at No.3.

Shubman Gill's poor form in overseas Tests

Gill, who has been an absolute beast in ODIs pretty much all around the globe, has failed to replicate it in Test cricket. His highest score in his last seven away Tests is 36 — a sign that he often gets starts but then gives them away. This hurts India because he asked for and got the No.3 slot in the batting order. An average of 35.76 in 31 Tests is poor for a batter of his class and these numbers drop to 29.57 when he tours the SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia). He looks good in the middle, but then, inexplicably, he loses concentration and falls, which has happened twice in this series in Adelaide.

Sundar, meanwhile, returned to the XI after featuring in the series opener in Perth. The inclusion of Sundar in place of Gill is an interesting choice in so many ways. Tipped to be the natural successor to the recently retired Ravichandran Ashwin, the Tamil Nadu all-rounder is likely to bat in the top 7 in the Boxing Day Test.

Australia (Playing XI): Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey(w), Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma(c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep

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