Indian skipper Rohit Sharma is elated to have young Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top of the order, as he can provide the much-needed left-right combination for the Indian side. India will begin the West Indies tour with a test series starting today and the Rajasthan Royals opener is expected to open alongside Indian skipper against the Men in Maroon.
Indian team has added new faces in the team for the West Indies tour and Yashasvi Jaiswal is slated to play as opener in the team. The Mumbai youngster has been touted to make his international debut for India in the Caribbean tour as he has shown promises in domestic cricket.
Speaking to the reporters ahead of the 1st game against West Indies, Rohit Sharma admitted that few deserving candidates missed out on their chances for the Caribbean tour, as the team can pick only 15 member squad, and said that the team was desperate to have left-handers at the top of the order, who can give the team a much needed left-right combination going forward.
“There are a couple of guys who have missed out. Unfortunately, you can pick only 15-16 players in the squad. But everyone’s time will come. That is what I want to say,” he said.
“Indian cricket desperately needed a left-hander and we found a very good player in Jaiswal. He looks very promising. So are Ruturaj and Gill. Gill has been playing good cricket for a year now and hope he continues his good form,” Rohit Sharma said.
In 15 matches in first-class cricket, Yashasvi Jaiswal has amassed 1845 runs at an average of 80.31, apart from scores of 213 and 144 in the Irani Cup against Madhya Pradesh. The left-handed youngster did reasonably well in this year’s Ranji Trophy as he amassed 315 runs for Mumbai at an average of 45.00.
Shubman Gill Can Contribute Better To The Team NO.3 – Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma believes that young Indian opener Ruturaj Gaikwad has great potential to become a successful red-ball cricketer as he showed his ability to perform at the highest level in T20 cricket and revealed that young Shubman Gill will bat in the number 3 position against the West Indies team, as wanted to play to down the order as long term prospect.
“Ruturaj has got all the potential to be successful in red-ball cricket. He has shown us in T20 cricket what he can do. It’s time for him, I’m sure he’s also looking forward to getting more runs for the Indian team. It’s quite exciting when you have guys like these coming into the squad. It’s good for the Indian team,” he added.
“As far as batting positions are concerned, Gill will bat at No. 3 as He wanted to bat at the spot. He discussed with Rahul bhai that he has played all his cricket at No. 3 and No. 4 and can contribute better for the team from No. 3. For us, it’s also better since we get a left-right combo,” Rohit Sharma concluded.
Shubman Gill is one of the best young batters going around in world cricket. At the moment the youngster is considered one of the torchbearers for the next generation. He has been in the form of life since the start of the 2023 season, proving to be a vital cog for the Indian team in all three formats of the game, and the youngster is expected to take up the crucial role of Cheteshwar Pujara in the Indian team.