Mohammad Azharuddin casts his vote in the ongoing debate between Shubman Gill and KL Rahul

Mohammad Azharuddin makes his feelings clear: There have been some heated exchange about who should be opening for India as KL Rahul is back in the squad while Shubman Gill stays in stunning touch with the bat in almost all formats of the game that he has so far been a part of.

Even though, India opted for KL Rahul who did show a lot of patience and control, pairing perfectly with Rohit Sharma for the opening stand, allowing India to fight their way to glory. However, he himself couldn’t really capitalise on the decent start and returned for 20 after debutant Todd Murphy bagged him off his own bowling.

Here is what Mohammad Azharuddin had to say about the opening duo

Mohammad Azharuddin, the former Indian captain had some serious remark to make about this contest between Shubman and Rahul, adding, “Not unfair. When you play in India, you expect the wickets to turn. We are playing the home advantage, so I don’t think there’s any reason why anybody should have a problem with that.”

Talking to Hindustan Times, Azhar further said, “You will have to battle it out. It is going to be a challenge for both of the teams. India has a bunch of great spinners but if you look at the Australian side, they also have spinners who can exploit the conditions really well.”

He concluded by saying, “It depends on what the combination is. To be honest, I believe a newer player should be given a chance. Sure, KL Rahul is vice-captain, but I think the players who are performing well… they need to be looked into as well.”

It will be interesting to see how India goes about in the series after a reticent start from Rahul who will need at least a string of big scores in order to restore the faith of the selectors in him. Shubman Gill, on the contrary, will be knocking on the doors as Australia keeps on battling India.