As Team India began their preparations for the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 with a three-match ODI series in Bangladesh, national selectors have faced a difficult task in choosing the openers for the mega event at home from Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, and Shubman Gill.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, giving his opinion on who should join Rohit Sharma at the top, said that Dhawan is leading the race, with Rahul likely to take on middle-order responsibilities for India.
The batting great said that Gill is doing a good job but has yet to do justice to his talent, so he would like to go ahead with Dhawan for the World Cup at the moment.
He also feels the ongoing ODI series in Bangladesh is a great opportunity for Dhawan to strengthen his chances of making it to the India squad for the 2023 World Cup, as he already provides a left-right combination for the Men in Blue.
Sunil Gavaskar said in a conversation with Sony Sports: “You are always looking for a left-right combination. Shikhar brings that left-handedness plus loads of experience that he has got. I think he has a point or two to prove in the sense that he probably might be saying that with the kind of record that he has in T20 cricket he should be playing that as well. So, I think it will be a great opportunity with these matches to show that he belongs to this squad and not just when the regulars are away.”
The legendary cricketer feels Gill will have to score impactful centuries in ODI cricket to claim his stake for the opening spot in the Indian team for the ODI World Cup 2023, which will be held in India.
He explained, “This means that someone like Shubman Gill will have to score hundreds and hundreds. Not the 50s and 60s that he is getting. He is a terrific talent, make no mistake. He is a rare talent. But he is not doing justice to his talent by getting out in the 50s or 60s.”
Gavaskar signed off by saying, “Yes, sometimes I understand that you are kind of trying to up the scoring rate but he has got to convert those 50s and 60s into impact hundreds and 120. Those knocks make a difference to the result.”
