"People rarely go down the order from opening in Test cricket" - Aakash Chopra on Shubman Gill dropping to No. 4 for ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test

Former India player Aakash Chopra has termed Shubman Gill's decision to bat at No. 4 in the first Test against England an interesting move. He pointed out that players rarely drop down the order in Tests.

The first Test of the five-match series between India and England will be played in Leeds from Friday, June 20, onwards. Rishabh Pant confirmed in a press conference that the new Indian Test skipper will bat at No. 4 in the series opener.

Reflecting on the development in a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener noted that Gill's move isn't a common occurrence in Tests.

"It's now been confirmed that the captain will play at No. 4. When you look at Shubman Gill's career, it started with opening and how it reached No. 4, it's a very interesting one, because people rarely go down the order from opening in Test cricket," he said (1:40).

Chopra highlighted that players have generally moved up the order in Tests in Indian cricket lately.

"They move up the order for sure. Someone might start at No. 5 or No. 6, and then slowly settle at No. 4 or No. 3. People rarely start as openers and then settle down the order. I don't recall too many players. I don't remember anyone in the Indian context, at least recently. Maybe once in a while, but not necessarily beyond that," he observed.

Aakash Chopra cited Virender Sehwag and Rohit Sharma's examples, saying the duo continued playing as openers once they were moved to the top of the order. He also pointed out that Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli started playing down the order before moving to No. 4.

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"It feels as if the world is moving towards Sai Sudharsan" - Aakash Chopra on India's likely No. 3 for ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test

Sai Sudharsan is yet to make his Test debut. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra opined that Sai Sudharsan will likely pip Abhimanyu Easwaran to the No. 3 position vacated by Shubman Gill.

"It means that only two slots are vacant in the XI. One vacant slot is No. 3, which I feel can be given to Sai Sudharsan. It could have been given to Abhimanyu Easwaran as well, but it feels as if the world is moving towards Sai Sudharsan. Otherwise, Karun Nair at No. 3 because we have seen him bat up the order in practice sessions many times," he said (2:45).

The cricketer-turned-commentator reckoned that Karun Nair will likely bat at No. 6, with Shardul Thakur potentially playing ahead of Nitish Kumar Reddy as the seam-bowling all-rounder.

"Karun Nair used to always be there among the top four batters who used to go to bat. So it could be Karun Nair at No. 3, but personally I feel Karun Nair at No. 6. It seems like Shardul Thakur will be the frontrunner. Nitish Kumar Reddy might also play with him, but there might be a place for only one of them," Chopra observed.

To conclude, Aakash Chopra opined that Ravindra Jadeja would bat at No. 7. He added that Arshdeep Singh doesn't have a place in his playing XI for the first match.