Ruturaj Gaikwad or Yashasvi Jaiswal, who should open with Rohit Sharma in IND vs SA ODIs?

India will have to decide between Ruturaj Gaikwad or Yashasvi Jaiswal as Rohit Sharma's partner for IND vs SA ODIs

India cricket team are tasked with deciding on an opening partner for Rohit Sharma in the IND vs SA ODIs, given that Shubman Gill has been ruled out of the series. The options that they have are Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad. There is a third option in the form of KL Rahul but the batter, who will be the ODI skipper in the upcoming series, has been slotted at number 5 or 6 for majority of his career in the 50-over format.

Jaiswal vs Gaikwad for opener role in IND vs SA ODIs

For starters, Jaiswal has played just one ODI to date. That fateful game was against England way back in 2024 in Nagpur where he managed to score 15 runs. Since then, he has either been ignored from the ODI side or has only been included as a back-up opener in the squad and has warmed the bench throughout.

On the contrary, Gaikwad has played 6 ODIs so far – four in which he has opened the innings. Out of the 115 runs that he has scored in the 50-over format for India so far, 98 of them have come while he has batted at the top of the order.

However, it is pertinent to point out that not only is Gaikwad more experienced in terms of Jaiswal but also boasts of better numbers in List A cricket. The CSK captain has 4534 runs from 89 List A games and averages 57.39 while the southpaw has 1526 runs from 33 games and averages 52.62. In addition to that, Gaikwad has been in the form of his life recently. In the India A vs South Africa A One-Day series, he registered scores of 117, 68* and 25 in three games – all while batting at the top of the order.

Apart from the fact that Gaikwad has more experience, his form warrants for a spot at the top of the order in the IND vs SA ODIs. Besides, this role is all but certain to be short-lived, especially since Rutu could be out of the side in a flash when Gill returns.

As for Jaiswal, the team could give him a game or two in the IND vs SA ODI series if they want to try him out as a long-term opening option. Besides, after Rohit Sharma retires, he could surely be the frontrunner to open the innings along with Gill. Not only will this ensure that India proceed with the right-left combination in mind but will also be able to settle down on the southpaw who is considered an all-format player.