In Adelaide, India was eager to bring Shubman Gill back into their lineup after he missed the first Test in Perth. However, two Tests later, he still wasn't in the team. What changed in those two weeks that led to Gill, who was expected to be India's No. 3, sitting on the sidelines? The answer came as a surprise when Rohit Sharma announced at the toss that 'Shubman Gill misses out.' This was particularly shocking since many see him as a future captain for India. How could someone with such a bright future not make the starting XI?

The reason was straightforward: the conditions didn’t call for it. India's assistant coach, Abhishek Nayar, explained the decision to leave Gill out and opt for Washington Sundar as the second spinner alongside Ravindra Jadeja. In fact, India went with just five specialist batters—Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, and Rishabh Pant—plus three all-rounders: Sundar, Jadeja, and Nitish Reddy.

Nayar mentioned, "When we make decisions, there's always communication and transparency. Looking at the pitch, we felt that having Washy in the bowling lineup would give us a needed variation, especially as the ball got older. After 50 overs, we wanted to strengthen that area, and we believed Washy could complement Jaddu well, especially with how Travis Head and Alex Carey were scoring runs. An off-spinner was a strategic choice for us."

Is Rohit Sharma going to be the opener for India?

Gill missed the opening match in Perth due to a fractured finger. He made his comeback in the pink-ball Test, where he had decent starts with scores of 28 and 31, but couldn't turn those into a big innings. During the rain-affected game at the Gabba, he only managed to score 1 run in his sole innings before the match was largely washed out, resulting in a draw. With Gill out, Rohit is set to move back up the batting order, and Nayar has pretty much confirmed that Rohit will likely open, with Rahul coming in at No. 3.

"Yeah, Rohit will definitely step up in the order, and it seems like he’ll be opening. It’s a bummer for him how things turned out, having to sit out. I think for a young player in that situation, especially on a big day, he really wants to shine and knows the team needs him. It’s unfortunate, but I wouldn’t say he’s been dropped; it’s just that he couldn’t find his spot in this match," he mentioned.

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