3 potential opening combinations for India in their T20I series vs Zimbabwe ft. Abhishek Sharma & Yashasvi Jaiswal
India raced to the 2024 T20 World Cup trophy, with the Men in Blue beating South Africa in a thrilling final. While celebrations are still ongoing in Mumbai, the focus has already shifted to the Zimbabwe T20I series, which will commence on Saturday, July 6, in Harare.
Understandably, India have selected a second-string squad for the assignment. Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shivam Dube are the only three players in the contingent who are also part of the T20 World Cup squad, with Dube recently being named as a replacement for the injured Nitish Reddy.
However, India's celebrations in Mumbai mean that the trio won't take part in the first two T20Is of the series. Sai Sudharsan, Harshit Rana, and Jitesh Sharma have been named as replacements. It remains to be seen if they will be around once the World Cup-winning trio return.
India’s squad for 1st & 2nd T20Is against Zimbabwe: Shubman Gill (c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande, Sai Sudharsan, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Harshit Rana.
India's initial squad for the Zimbabwe T20Is: Shubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shivam Dube, Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande.
India have plenty of opening and top-order batters in their squad and have some tough decisions to make. Irrespective of their approach, one or more players might have to adopt roles different from what they were used to in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL).
Here are three potential opening combinations for Team India during their T20I series against Zimbabwe.
#3 Yashasvi Jaiswal and Abhishek Sharma
Shubman Gill batted at the top of the order for the Gujarat Titans throughout IPL 2024, but he didn't achieve a great deal of success. He had a distinctly below-par season with the bat, and while some of that can be attributed to the failures of those around him, he wasn't near his best.
Gill has announced that Ruturaj Gaikwad will bat at No. 3 for now, meaning he and Abhishek Sharma are the frontrunners to open the batting. However, when Yashasvi Jaiswal joins the fray, it's worth considering whether the skipper should move down to the middle order.
Gill is a solid player of spin and has already moved into the middle order in Tests. He also isn't the most aggressive batter at the start of his innings, and India could use Abhishek and Jaiswal to maximize the powerplay.
However, having two left-handers at the top of the order, both of whom have similar strengths and weaknesses against hard lengths, might not be a great idea.
#2 Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill
This seems to be India's likely opening combination at the start of the series, and it's an exciting one. Gill and Abhishek have known each other since their age-group cricket days and represent Punjab at the domestic level, so they will already have a certain understanding of how to bat as a pair.
Even when Jaiswal returns, the Men in Blue could persist with this combination if Abhishek makes an impact. Gill, as the captain, is primed to have some role stability, while the think tank might not want to split them up if they get India off to a great start.
#1 Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal
In the long run, as India attempt to replace Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli at the top of the order, Gill and Jaiswal could emerge as the premier candidates. The duo have arguably the biggest ceiling among all of the team's youngsters and are all set to take over the mantle across formats.
Gill and Jaiswal's shortcomings are easy to address with time. Abhishek is more than suitable for a middle-order role, meaning that India could switch up their opening combination once Jaiswal enters the fray. It's a move they should arguably make, given how talented these two players are.