India, Nov. 21 -- Ajinkya Rahane, the man who held the No.5 position for India for a long time, has urged the current team management to identify a long-term No.3 between Sai Sudharsan and Washington Sundar and give the concerned player a "long rope." In the first Test between India and South Africa at the Eden Gardens, the think tank decided to drop Sudharsan and go in with Sundar at the all-important slot. Ever since head coach Gautam Gambhir took over, the position of No.3 has been a key issue, with a game of musical chairs being played out.

Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, and Karun Nair have been tried out at No.3 in the past year; however, none of them has made the slot their own, and this has led the team to try out different players. The...