INDvs ENG 2016: Gautam Gambhir In Line For A Surprise Call From Indian Team For The Fourth Test
Dec 3, 2016 at 2:46 PM
Gautam Gambhir might just get another chance to revive his career with the India. He made a comeback to the team after a two-year hiatus but could play only Tests before being dropped. Apart from a quickfire fifty in the third Test against New Zealand, the southpaw did little to claim his stake for a place in the team and the selectors were quick to recall KL Rahul for the second Test after he recovered from an injury that he suffered during the New Zealand series. However, the Karnataka opener aggravated an injury to his left forearm in the nets just before the third Test against England.
The team management was compelled to play Parthiv Patel as an opener in the Mohali Test but now another opener, Murali Vijay is reportedly suffering from back spasms which have raised speculations that Gambhir might get a call from the selectors.
If the regular openers fail to get fit in time, the fight for opening the innings in the fourth Test will be down between Gambhir and Shikhar Dhawan. However, going by the current form, it is likely that Gambhir is likely to get the nod ahead of his Delhi teammate.
Dhawan, who has been performing poorly in Tests in last few months, was dropped from the team after suffering an injury during the New Zealand series. But any possibility of getting into the national team looks bleak after his poor performance in the ongoing Ranji Trophy. He has scored only 93 runs in three innings and it is highly unlikely that the selectors will include him in the squad for the upcoming Test.
Moreover, Wriddhiman Saha has not yet recovered from the injury which has opened another slot for a new addition to the squad. Rishabh Pant has made a strong case for himself with his astonishing batting prowess this season but the selectors will be more interested in selecting an opener which tilts the balance in Gambhir’s favour. The Indian openers have not provided a good start to the team for quite some time now and the team management will be keen to have a proper opener at their disposal to improve the situation.
The fourth Test will start from December 8 and the selectors have a big task at their hand when they sit down to choose the team.