Wasim Jaffer, the former India opener feels captain Rohit Sharma should open the innings alongside Ruturaj Gaikwad in the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka. The Men in Blue are yet to experiment with Rohit Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad at the top of the order.
Ruturaj Gaikwad made his international debut on last year’s tour of Sri Lanka following an impressive set of outings in IPL 2021. The Orange Cap winner then proceeded to receive call-ups for the tour of South Africa and the home series against the West Indies.
Wasim Jaffer Feels Ruturaj Gaikwad And Rohit Sharma Should Open Against Lankans As Ishan Kishan Didn’t Have A Good Series Last Time Against Windies
Ruturaj Gaikwad availed his chance in the final 3rd inconsequential T20I against West Indies in Kolkata, where he opened the innings alongside Ishan Kishan. The left-hander Ishan Kishan was handed an opportunity at the top in all three games and he returned with scores of 35, 2, and 34 in the series. He had a strike rate of 85.54 in the recent T20I series against the West Indies.
In this regard, Wasim Jaffer said: “I feel Rohit Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad should open in this series especially because India tried out Ishan Kishan last time and he did not have a good series. It’s time India gives Ruturaj a lengthy run, like three games or two games at least. So, I think Rohit and Ruturaj should open in a couple of games at least.”
With KL Rahul absent from the squad, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan lie as the only possible options for Rohit Sharma’s partner at the top. It is possible that Rohit Sharma plays in the middle order to compensate for the absence of both Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant and let Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan open the innings.
Wasim Jaffer feels that the all-rounder will certainly be in the playing XI as the first spinner. He hopes to see the left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja partnered with Ravi Bishnoi for this series.
Wasim Jaffer added: “Ravindra Jadeja obviously plays. He comes into the side, so he is one of the spinners. It will be a toss-up between Chahal and Bishnoi. At this point in time, I would like to see how Bishnoi performs, so I would give him a go at the start because Chahal is a seasoned player, so he is not somebody who is at test.”
“You need to test a guy like Bishnoi and see how he performs because I expect the Sri Lanka players to play spin better. It would be a good challenge to see how he performs in this series.”
Ravindra Jadeja was last seen in the home Test series against New Zealand after the 2021 T20I World Cup. Following the series, he suffered an injury that forced him to miss the tour of South Africa and the home series against the West Indies.
Wasim Jaffer Expects Sri Lankan Bowlers To Pose A Threat
Sri Lanka is heading into this series on the back of a 4-1 defeat in the T20Is against Australia away from home. Wasim Jaffer noted that the bowling unit will be more efficient in conditions more suited to them. He reserved praise for Dushmantha Chameera, who will be leading the visitors’ bowling attack.
Wasim Jaffer said:“Sri Lanka’s bowlers will pose a threat, especially their spinners. We saw in the last series that Roston Chase did well. He did not let the Indian batsmen get after him and put the brakes in the middle overs. I expect Sri Lanka to play 3 spinners, you might see that because we are playing in Lucknow, the boundaries are very big, so you don’t mind playing three spinners, something which is their strength.“
Wasim Jaffer concluded: “Even their pacers, like Chameera, he has a lot of tricks up his sleeve and has IPL experience as well. Definitely, the Sri Lankan bowling attack looks more potent than the West Indies.”
Both teams are missing big players. Virat Kohli is rested, as is Rishabh Pant, and now Deepak Chahar and Suryakumar Yadav have picked up injuries as well. Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga – their best player – has not even made the trip, thanks to Covid.
Beyond this, the Player of the Match from their last T20 in Australia – Kusal Mendis – and their most consistent powerplay bowler from the last year – Mahesh Theekshana – are also in serious doubt for this game, having sustained injuries themselves.