'Time for Rohit to open batting in Tests' – Gautam Gambhir

With KL Rahul dropped from the Test side for the series against South Africa, and Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan gradually falling out of the reckoning over the last couple of years, there is uncertainty surrounding India's openers. Mayank Agarwal has impressed in the role in his four Tests, but the identity of his partner for the South Africa Tests is still unknown.

Rohit is an integral part of India's white-ball sides, but the 32-year-old hasn't quite nailed down a spot in the Test team over the years. He has been named in the squad for the upcoming three-Test series against South Africa, starting 2 October, and amidst the debate about his best playing position, Gambhir, who has scored over 10,000 runs for India across formats, said Rohit should open.

"It is time for Rohit Sharma to open the batting in Test cricket," he said. "If you pick him in the squad, he has to be a part of the playing XI. If he does not fit your playing XI, no point in picking him in the squad of 15 or 16. He is too good a player to be sitting on the bench."

Gambhir also said having the likes of Rohit and MS Dhoni in the team helped Virat Kohli, who is now India's most successful Test captain. He led the side to the semi-finals of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019, and boasts an impressive overall captaincy record in the 50-over format – he has 58 victories from 80 matches as captain, and has suffered just 19 defeats.

His win-loss ratio in the other two formats are similarly impressive. He is India's most successful Test captain, with 28 wins in 48 matches, and in T20Is, he has 16 wins in 26 matches. However, Gambhir said there was still room for Kohli to improve. "Kohli was very good in the last World Cup, but he has a long way to go."