BCCI announced squad for ODI series against South Africa. Along with Rohit Sharma, the squad has multiple top order batters. But who will be the opening partner of Rohit? Know all the options Team India currently has in the squad.
Who will open with Rohit Sharma?
It’s worth noting that Yashasvi Jaiswal has played just one One Day International (ODI) so far. That match was against England in Nagpur in 2024, where he scored just 15 runs. Since then, he has either been overlooked from the ODI team or has been benched after being included as a backup opener.
Ruturaj Gaikwad has played six One Day Internationals so far, opening four of them. In the 50-over format, he has scored 115 runs for India at an average of 19.2, 98 of which have come while batting in the top order. His best score in this format is 71.
Gaikwad’s stats in List A cricket are also impressive. The CSK captain has scored 4,534 runs in 89 List A matches at an average of 57.39, while the left-hander has scored 1,526 runs in 33 matches at an average of 52.62. Furthermore, Gaikwad has been in the best form of his career recently. In the India A vs. South Africa A ODI series, he scored 117, 68*, and 25 in three matches, all while batting in the top order.
As for Jaiswal, he could be considered a long-term opening option. After Rohit Sharma’s retirement, he could certainly be a frontrunner to open the innings alongside Gill. This would not only ensure that India considers a right-left combination going forward, but also provide a clearer picture of the left-hander, who is considered a versatile player across formats.
Indian ODI squad
KL Rahul (captain), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh and Dhruv Jurel.