Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra believes the growth of opener Yashasvi Jaiswal would soon push Rohit Sharma out of the ODIs, as the left-hander will cause spectators to 'not miss' the seasoned batter.
Yashasvi Jaiswal has already established himself as one of the top Test openers, with hundreds in India, England, and Australia. He has also performed well in limited T20I games but has only played one ODI thus far.
However, Chopra, who has played 10 Tests for India, believes Jaiswal, who struck 175 against the West Indies in the recent second Test in Delhi, is on track to become India's all-format opener, replacing Rohit in the ODI series.
“I think it’s only a matter of time. You will find Yashasvi Jaiswal being blooded in all formats one by one. He has already played T20Is, and he scored a hundred as well. He plays very well in the IPL. He was part of the T20 World Cup team as well. After that, Shubman Gill went ahead of him in the race from the leadership perspective,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
Chopra stated that Yashasvi Jaiswal will soon be part of the Indian team in all three formats, and if he and Shubman Gill open in ODIs, then fans might not even miss Rohit Sharma.
“Shubman became a part of the Asia Cup team. Yashasvi is still not there. He will break into the team. You won’t be able to keep him far for long, although an interesting discussion has started about whether you want to play Abhishek Sharma in ODIs. I feel Yashasvi might get a chance before him and should as well. If Yashasvi and Shubman Gill open in ODIs, you might not even miss Rohit then,” he added.
Chopra’s prediction comes as Rohit Sharma has shown willingness to play until the 2027 World Cup, and despite retiring from ODIs and T20Is, he continues to be part of the ODIs and will feature in the upcoming Australia series starting October 19.
If Jaiswal continues to score large runs at his young age of 23, selectors may find it tough to continue with the 38-year-old Rohit, who is certain to face the lack of match practice issue after retiring from the other two formats.
Aakash Chopra stated that Jaiswal, who plays for the Rajasthan Royals, is still due for a tremendous Indian Premier League season, scoring 750 to 800 runs in a single season, and might soon be a regular opener in T20Is alongside Abhishek Sharma, pushing Gill to No. 3.
“In T20 cricket, I feel his best IPL season has not come yet. A 750- to 800-run IPL season will definitely come for him because he is that kind of player. He has the hunger and stroke, making him par excellence. The combination of the two is magical.
Whenever you give Yashasvi a chance, he will grab it, and when he grabs it, then you won’t miss others. Shubman Gill might go to No. 3 in T20 cricket, and Yashasvi might open. By the World Cup, I feel he will become a part of the team and might be seen playing in the XI after the World Cup,” Chopra added.
