Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer on Wednesday (23rd February) said that Ruturaj Gaikwad should open alongside Rohit Sharma in the T20I series against Sri Lanka. He feels that it’s time for Team India to give the batter a longer run.
Team India is all set to clash with Sri Lanka in three T20Is and two Tests. The three-match series will begin from 24th February in Lucknow’s Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium Stadium with the second and third match slated to be played on 26th and 27th February in Dharamsala.
The two Tests will be played from 4th March to 16th March in Mohali and Bengaluru respectively, with the second Test being a Day-Night affair.
With just a few hours remaining for the start of the T20I series, there are a lot of speculations about who should open with Rohit Sharma. With KL Rahul out due to injury, Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad are the two possible options to partner with the Indian skipper.
Many believe that Team India should give Ruturaj Gaikwad more chances, especially after Ishan Kishan’s poor performance in the West Indies series. The right-hander made his debut against Sri Lanka last year after a staggering show in IPL 2021.
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Gaikwad also played in the third T20I against West Indies. He opened the innings alongside Ishan Kishan but failed to grab the opportunity as he scored just 4 runs. If given chance, the young batter would be hoping to set the stage on fire.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Wasim Jaffer said that Rohit Sharma along with Ruturaj Gaikwad should open in the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka as Ishan Kishan didn’t have a good series against West Indies.
"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," Wasim Jaffer said.
Wasim Jaffer further said that Team India should give Ruturaj Gaikwad a healthy run and he should open along with Rohit Sharma in at least two games against Sri Lanka.
"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," he said.
Ruturaj Gaikwad so far has scored just 39 runs in the 3 T20Is he has played.
(ESPNCricinfo inputs)
