Team India have already begun their preparation for the 2023 ODI World Cup which will be played at home. Through the course of the next nine months, India would aim to look at their possible 15 for the tournament. One of the biggest problem for the selectors will be to pick the openers for the World Cup between Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul and Shubman Gill. However, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has given a huge verdict on who between Dhawan and Gill is leading the race with Rahul likely to take middle-order responsibilities.
Dhawan has been the most regular member of the ODI side since 2019 and has in fact even led the team on numerous occasions in the absence of some regular stars, the most recent being in the New Zealand tour.
Gill, on the other hand, has been looking to cement his place in the ODI squad and become the primary choice opener for India. In 15 ODIs so far, the youngster has scored 687 runs at 57.2 with one century and four fifties.
Only one between the two will have the chance to partner Rohit in the World Cup and Gavaskar, in conversation with Sony Sports on Sunday, ahead of the start of the 1st ODI between India and Bangladesh, picked Dhawan as the primary choice opener.
“You are always looking for a left-right combination. Shikhar brings that left-handedness plus the 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,” he explained.
The India batting legend added that for Gill to make a breakthrough, he has to score impactful centuries after centuries and not get stuck at knocks of 50s or 60s.
“This means that someone like Shubman Gill will have to scored 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. 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.”