• Shubman Gill has the support of the Indian test team as he gets ready to bat at number three.
• Gill requested to bat at three, replacing veteran Cheteshwar Pujara.
• Batting coach Vikram Rathour sees Gill as the future of Indian cricket.

Shubman Gill has the full support of the India test team as he adapts to his shift from the opening slot to the number three position, batting coach Vikram Rathour said ahead of the second match against West Indies in Port of Spain starting from Thursday.

Gill has scored both of his test hundreds and four fifties while opening the innings, usually with skipper Rohit Sharma.

Before the start of the two-test series in West Indies, Gill requested to bat at three, a position long occupied by veteran Cheteshwar Pujara before he was dropped from the side.

Gill made just six runs in his new role in Roseau, where India batted only once and cruised to victory inside three days at Windsor Park.

“We won’t judge on one innings, he has a lot of time and surely he will do well for us in this position,” Rathour said on Sunday.

“Because he has the game for that. He can take his time and play, and he is a stroke-player as well who can move the game forward.

“Having such a batter at number three is extremely advantageous.”

Rathour, a former test player, referred to Gill as the “future” of Indian cricket while praising the right-hander’s outstanding recent performance, which has included a double century in one-day internationals and hundreds in each international game type.

“Sometimes it might take a bit of time in a particular format, and he is taking that time,” he said.

“The potential that he has, I have no doubt that he is the future of the Indian team in batting. He will play for the Indian team for a long time, in all three formats.”

After taking Gill’s place at the top of the order, Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed 171 on his test debut in Roseau to be named Player of the Match.

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