Former Indian captain and legendary Sunil Gavaskar didn’t seem too happy with Team India’s decision to go ahead with Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant opening the innings for team India in the 2nd ODI match against the West Indies in Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant, who is a middle-order batter, left everyone surprised by walking out to open the innings for team India however the duo failed to give India a great start. Rohit Sharma got dismissed for 5 runs while Pant could only score 18 runs. The Indian side ended the innings with 237/9 from their 50 overs, with Suryakumar Yadav top-scoring with a knock of 64.
Speaking on Star Sports in the mid-match show, Sunil Gavaskar expressed his displeasure with India’s batting-order experiment. He said he would use Rohit and Pant as openers “as a last option”. He said:
“I would keep that as a last option maybe. My choice would be either a (KL) Rahul or a Shikhar Dhawan at the top of the order. Or if you want a left-hander at the top of the order, I would go back to an Ishan Kishan,”
Furthermore, Gavaskar also said that team India should go for Ruturaj Gaikwad as an opening option once he recovers from Coronavirus. He said:
“But again, India are spoilt for riches as far as opening batting is concerned because there is Ruturaj Gaikwad as well, who is not fit because of Covid sadly. He is somebody who can contribute at the top of the order, looking at the kind of form we have seen from him for the last couple of seasons of IPL,”
Meanwhile, the Indian side has taken an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the three-match ODI series, having won the opening match on Sunday. Both the teams will now lock their horns in the dead rubber 3rd ODI match, which is scheduled to take place on February 11th. Both the teams will also face off in a three-match T20I series later this month.
