IND vs NZ | Feel Mayank Agarwal and Shubman Gill should open in first Test, comments Harbhajan Singh

As the New Zealand tour of India moves towards its closing phase, it's time for the most awaited series of the year - the Test series. In the absence of Rohit Sharma at the top, it will be one of the U19 stars who will be stepping up and the debate is already one about who it should be, a returning Prithvi Shaw or an uncapped Shubman Gill.

Veteran India offie Harbhajan Singh threw his weight behind Gill for the opening slot who is coming off a brilliant performance with the “A” side. Gill proved his versatility as he notched up scores of 83 and 204* while batting in the middle-order and then scored a ton opening.

"Shubman should get his chance since he has been part of the team (as reserve opener) for quite a while without playing any Test match," Harbhajan told PTI.

A big concern for the Indian side is the form of Mayank Agarwal who hasn’t been able to get going in New Zealand so far. While Agarwal had a debut to forget in the ODI series against the Kiwis, the opener scored a couple of ducks in the first unofficial Test.

Harbhajan, who is widely known as the Turbinator, believes that Agarwal who is a tried and tested player in the longest format shouldn’t be judged on his recent performances. The Punjab lad backed the Agarwal Gill duo to open in the first Test at least.

"Mayank is a proven player in Test cricket and a top batsman. He understands his game very well. Just because of three ODI innings and a practice game, you don't drop him. It doesn't work like that," Harbhajan explained.

"He has been scoring lots of runs wherever he is playing, so I feel Mayank and Shubman should start in first Test," he added.