With the pressure of playing the World Cup at home, in front of thousands of Indian cricket fans cheering for Rohit Sharma and the Company, the Indian team would also feel the push to do anything to lift that trophy on the 19th of November. The Indian team will be stepping onto the field for their opening game of the World Cup 2023, against the mighty Aussies on the 8th of October.
The reports suggest that the Indian opener Shubman Gill, who has been having, may be the best year of his cricketing career, has caught Dengue and might not be fit for the upcoming game or 2.
Here are some options India would be going with until Gill recovers:
Ishan Kishan
The mighty southpaw, who has proven his caliber and ability to perform under pressure in recent times, will be the first choice the Indian team would go with. Due to the team’s requirement, Ishan was batting in the middle order and still performed admirably well. But if Gill will be unavailable, Kishan would be opening the innings with the Indian captain Rohit Sharma.
Ishan Kishan has always preferred to open the innings as he likes to play with the field restrictions and the new ball. With him being a left-hander, India would be pleased to have him at the top.
KL Rahul
KL Rahul opening the innings can be possible only if the management thinks about having a left-hander in the middle overs to counter the spin. There’s no doubt whether the right-hander will be able to open the innings as he has been doing since the beginning of his career. He adjusted his position due to the team’s requirements and would not mind doing it again for the team.
But the team would not want to tinker much with the combinations and that too in the World Cup. He has been the highest scorer at the number 5 from the year 2020, with a blistering average of over 52. He has made number five spot of his own now.
Virat Kohli
You may have seen Virat Kohli opening the innings in T20Is, but have you seen him open in ODIs? This could only be possible if the Indian team wants to go with an extra batter instead ofall-rounders, Shardul and Ashwin. This means both Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer will get to play, and India will have just five bowlers including Hardik Pandya.
This is the rarest of cases as making Kohli open would displace the whole batting line-up. But undoubtedly, considering his class, he will be equally destructive wherever he bats.
Another question is, who will come in place of Gill even if Kishan opens, Shreyas Iyer or Suryakumar Yadav?
Well, if we look at the experience then Shreyas Iyer seems to be the front-runner for the vacant spot. He has shown promising signs against Australia in the bilateral series, but Surya also scored a couple of half-centuries. Since Shreyas has come from an injury, and he doesn’t feel fit, then the destructive Surya will be making it to India’s playing XI against the Australian team.
