Leg and Off: Where should Shubman Gill bat during the ENG vs IND 2025 Test series?

All eyes will be on the newly-appointed Test captain, Shubman Gill, when Team India tour England for five Tests, starting June 20. The 25-year-old's appointment surprised many, following Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's Test retirements in back-to-back weeks last month.

Yet, beyond captaincy, Gill's batting position in the new-look Indian order without Kohli and Rohit has been a highly discussed topic among fans and experts.

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting recently suggested Gill replace Kohli at No.4.

"Shubman might end up being that No.4 player, which will probably make life for him a little bit easier as a captain as well. Not having to be opening or batting at No.3 as a young captain might make it easier," he said on the ICC Review.

It is fair to say that Yashasvi Jaiswal, as one of the openers, and Rishabh Pant at No.5 or 6 are the only certainties position-wise in the Indian batting order in England. The rest remains a puzzle that many, including the Indian management, are looking to get right before the series opener.

Scoring runs consistently becomes pivotal for Gill with Kohli and Rohit's absence, and for his captaincy to take off on the right note.

On that note, let us deep dive into the million-dollar question of Shubman Gill's ideal batting position for the upcoming England tour.

Scenario 1: Shubman Gill opening

Shubman Gill is no stranger to opening the batting in Tests, having predominantly opened in the first two years of his career. However, he has batted exclusively at No.3 since the middle of the 2023 season.

The stylish right-hander does not boast the most impressive record as Test opener, averaging a pedestrian 32.37 in 29 innings. The numbers deteriorate further as an opener in his three Tests in England, with an average of 14.66 in six innings.

Hence, opening the batting hasn't been kind to Shubman Gill in Tests despite his exceptional record at the position in ODIs and the IPL. Coming to the rest of the order, should he open in the upcoming England tour, KL Rahul should bat at No.3 or 4, and one of Karun Nair, Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel, or Abhimanyu Easwaran at the other positions from 3 to 5.

While Rahul has tasted success at almost all the positions, he has batted all but two of his 18 test innings in England at the top with an average of over 37. Batting at No. 4 might help Karun Nair, considering his success at the position in domestic cricket.

Should India choose to play Rahul at 5 with two of Nair, Sudharsan, and Easwaran at 3 and 4, the possible benefit of not being exposed to the new ball instantly could help their cause as they look to settle into the Test side.

Verdict: Not ideal for Shubman Gill or KL Rahul, but could help the newcomers and Karun Nair if they bat at No.4

Scenario 2: Shubman Gill at No.3

If nothing else, Shubman Gill must feel at home batting at No.3, considering he has batted there for almost the last two years in Tests. Yet, his numbers at the position aren't impressive, with an average of 37.74 in 30 innings and a worse 19.27 in 12 innings away from home.

However, the rest of the batting order could benefit from Gill batting at No.3, starting with KL Rahul. The veteran batter enjoyed tremendous success opening with Jaiswal in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy down under at the end of last year.

Rahul scored a match-winning 77 in the second innings of the opening Test at Perth and a game-saving 84 in the first innings of the third Test at Brisbane as an opener. Furthermore, he has batted 83 of his 101 Test innings as an opener for India and scored a sublime 116 in the ongoing India A-England Lions encounter at Northampton.

Rahul aside, Gill batting at No.3 could help Nair bat at his customary position in domestic cricket - No.4, should India play him in the XI. It could also serve Test debutants Sudharsan and Easwaran well if they bat at No.4 or lower in alien conditions and against the moving ball in England.

Verdict: Not ideal for Shubman Gill on numbers, but favorable on experience. Helps the others to bat at their most fruitful position.

Scenario 3: Shubman Gill in the middle-order

Finally, we head to the unknown of Shubman Gill batting in the middle-order, likely at No.4. The 25-year-old has never batted below the top three in Tests for India.

Yet, just his technical struggles against the moving ball in seaming conditions suggest that a middle-order spot could be the ideal tonic to reignite his Test career. With the onus on marshaling the troops on the field, Gill might want to start his captaincy stint by batting in the middle-order to ease into the contest.

Furthermore, it may help if batters with tighter techniques like Sudharsan, Rahul, or Easwaran occupy two of the top three spots. Nair also scored a brilliant 204 in the first India A clash against the Lions at Canterbury at No.3 - a position he might have cemented with the knock.

Verdict: Gill batting at 4 is unknown territory, but one that could work wonders, given his struggles against the moving ball. The rest of the batting order should also benefit from Gill at No.4.

Conclusion

Shubman Gill batting at any of the top four positions has advantages and disadvantages for himself and the rest of the Indian batting lineup. Yet, India must almost instantly rule out the option of their new Test captain opening the batting.

Gill batting at No.3 or lower gives the batting order a more settled look, with the other batters possibly best utilized. Given his subpar numbers at one drop, the Indian skipper might start at No.4 to give himself the best opportunity to get amongst the runs.

Final Verdict: Shubman Gill should bat at No.4 to start his Test captaincy journey on the England tour.