Should Yashasvi Jaiswal be Rohit Sharma's successor in ODIs?
What's the story
Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag has backed young talent Yashasvi Jaiswal for a spot in the ODI team. Sehwag believes that once Rohit Sharma retires after next year's World Cup in South Africa and Zimbabwe, Jaiswal will be given an opportunity as an opener. However, he also stressed that there needs to be a vacancy first for this to happen.
Player potential
Jaiswal's ODI journey so far
Jaiswal has played four ODIs so far, scoring a century in his last outing against South Africa in Visakhapatnam. He scored an unbeaten 116 off 121 balls. Sehwag believes that while Jaiswal has immense potential in white-ball cricket, he will have to wait for his chances for now due to the current team composition. Notably, Jaiswal was included in India's squad for the three-ODI series against Afghanistan only when Virat Kohli became unavailable due to an injury.
Team strategy
Competitors for the opening slot
Speaking on Cricbuzz, Sehwag pointed out that Jaiswal's inclusion in the ODI team was contingent on players like Shubman Gill or Rohit Sharma not being available. He said, "He performed very well when he got the chance. It was not like he was dropped after not performing. He was in the team because someone wasn't playing." The cricketer also acknowledged Ruturaj Gaikwad as a potential competitor for Jaiswal's spot in the future. Notably, Jaiswal averages 51.35 in List A cricket, having tallied 1,746 runs.
Expert endorsement
Tiwary backs Jaiswal for ODI spot
Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary echoed Sehwag's sentiments during the same discussion. He said that after next year's World Cup, Jaiswal should be India's top choice as an opener, ahead of players like Sai Sudharsan, Ishan Kishan and Devdutt Padikkal. Tiwary added, "He can be chosen before, though." This further emphasizes the cricketing community's faith in Jaiswal's abilities across all formats of the game.