Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri showed surprise at Shubman Gill’s exclusion from the playing XI for the fourth Test against Australia in Melbourne as well. With Team India going for a second spin option in Washington Sundar, Gill made way after playing the previous two Tests as well. Speaking on the ICC review, Shastri questioned India’s decision to leave Gill out of the Boxing Day Test as well.

“There’s Shubman Gill, a player of his quality averaging over 40 in the year 2024 and not playing, which is a shame. When you average over 40 in the year 2024, not many players have averaged over 40 – I think he’s averaging 43 or 44 – for him to be sitting and cooling his heels must be one of the toughest pills to swallow,” he said.

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He added, “It tricks your brain as to what he’s doing sitting on the bench and warming it. How can he be out of the XI is my question. Now how he comes into the XI, that’s the call of the team. I’m trying to think, if I had to make him sit out or make a player who is averaging 40 sit out, what will I tell him?”

Ravi Shastri also said that the decision to drop Shubman Gill needed further scrutiny, considering the lack of overs bowled by the extra bowling option as well.

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“There has to be an extremely valid reason, to tell him that, ‘you are sitting out’. If you are talking balance of the team, we are playing an extra bowler, then give that bowler bowling. If he is not bowling enough, then why are you keeping a player like him out? It’s an area that demands scrutiny as to how you can keep a player like that out,” concluded Ravi Shastri.