Abhishek Nayar explains Shubman Gill exclusion

Gill has collected 60 runs in three innings during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Series so far. The series is popular with punters, who can benefit from a 1win promo code for cricket and other sports.

"Well I think a lot of the decisions when they are made, and the process of it being made, the communication is always there, transparency is there," said India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar of Gill's exclusion.

"Rohit Sharma will come up in the order and more likely than not he will open the innings for us. So I think that was the thought process and unfortunately for him, Gill, just how things panned out.

"He had to miss out and sometimes I just feel for a young player in a position like that, a big day, he wants to make his mark, he understands it is a team's requirement and it is unfortunate. I wouldn't say that he has been dropped per se, it is just unfortunate that he couldn't find his place in his team."

Nayar, meanwhile, defended the decision to retain Rohit and fellow batsman Virat Kohli amid their poor form recently.

"I always believe that it's about confidence and a start. Once a player gets a start, their game looks different. So, I think Virat and Rohit are both such players. If they can play 25 to 30 balls, then you will see the same Virat and Rohit that you see earlier," he added.

"But, this is a game of confidence. So, no matter how much you practise, no matter how much you talk, in the end, when you get into the match, it's very important to play 20, 25 30 balls."

Australian batter Sam Konstas hit 60 on Test debut at the MCG.

"Well, I think a lot of credit to, you know, the way Sam played. I felt, you know, the intent that he showed in the first four sort of put us in the back foot," concluded Nayer.

"I felt it took a lot of character for our bowlers to stick in there. It wasn't the best, I mean, the easiest conditions to bowl, we felt the conditions are good to bat on and at times like that, sometimes it's important to stick to your guns, stick to the plans.

"I felt post-lunch, we came back really strong, bowling four maidens back-to-back, you know, putting the pressure on the opposition. I felt at times like that, you are taken by surprise when someone plays a knock like that, but I felt we responded really well and then through the day, sort of kept at it and towards the end, you reap the rewards of everything that you did through the day. So, I felt overall, you look at that day, we were happy with where we ended."