"You left him out of the team, you can only call it dropped" - Sunil Gavaskar on Rohit Sharma saying that Shubman Gill wasn't dropped for BGT 4th Test

Sunil Gavaskar has noted that Shubman Gill being ignored for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 fourth Test implies that he was dropped. He pointed out that the stylish batter warmed the bench and his replacement Washington Sundar wasn't utilized effectively either.

India opted to bolster their bowling for the Boxing Day Test against Australia in Melbourne by including Sundar in the playing XI at Gill's expense. However, the move did not yield the desired results as the visitors lost the game by 184 runs on the final day (Monday, December 30).

During a discussion on Star Sports, Gavaskar was asked for his thoughts on Rohit Sharma stating in the post-match press conference that Gill wasn't dropped but was left out as the side needed cushion in bowling.

"How much bowling did you give to Washington Sundar? What cushion are you talking about? The requirement of the team is perfectly fine. You need to take decisions based on that, but you left him (Gill) out of the team, you can only call it dropped in whichever language you might speak," he responded.

"You can say you omitted or dropped him, both are the same. Omit looks different, drop looks different, and left out looks different. I am talking about English but in the end, that guy was sitting in the dugout and was not on the ground," Gavaskar added.

Sundar bowled only 19 overs in the Melbourne Test, picking up a solitary wicket across the two innings. He played a responsible 50-run knock in India's first innings and remained unbeaten on five in the second essay.

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"You dropped Shubman Gill just because you wanted to open and KL Rahul had to come at No. 3" - Sunil Gavaskar

Shubman Gill batted at No. 3 in the second and third Tests against Australia. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, Sunil Gavaskar was asked whether he expects India to take a big call for the fifth Test, considering Shubman Gill is waiting in the wings.

"I cannot say what will be a big decision as I don't know what sort of discussions happen in the team environment. I only want to say that your batting was failing and you dropped a batter, Shubman Gill, for this match. You dropped Shubman Gill just because you (Rohit Sharma) wanted to open and KL Rahul had to come at No. 3," he responded.

The cricketer-turned-commentator questioned the Indian think tank for weakening their batting by leaving out Gill for the Boxing Day Test.

"You had only five batters. Ravindra Jadeja was at No. 6. Jadeja batted very well in Gabba but he is an all-rounder. You weakened your batting instead of making it stronger. Shubman Gill scored 30-odd runs in both innings in Adelaide. He didn't play in the first Test and got out for one or two because of the mistake he made in Brisbane. Will you drop him for that? You did that and see what was the result," Gavaskar observed.

Gill scored 31 runs in India's first innings of the second Test in Adelaide and 28 runs in the second essay. He was dismissed for one in his only innings in the third Test in Brisbane.