Abhishek Sharma or Ruturaj Gaikwad - who should open the batting for India in Zimbabwe T20Is?
A new era will emerge for India when it comes to the shortest format. With the ICC drought now done and dusted, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have paved the way for the next generation to take over.
Although the new blood have been ready for quite a while now, in terms of embedding the modern approach in their own batting arsenal, the perennial selection issue still exists.
Undeniably the biggest change that will be observed with the seniors departing is the huge void left at the top of the order. Shubman Gill is a certain inclusion in the Zimbabwe series as he leads the national side for the first time.
As to who opens the batting alongside him and below him is a debate. With Yashasvi Jaiswal not part of the initial part of the series, it opens up a wide array of options among the remaining batters in the side.
Replacement player Sai Sudharsan is a tempting option to be deployed in the top order due to his chemistry with franchise skipper Gill in the IPL. However, the more streamlined way of thinking leads to Abhishek Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad as the favorites to feature in the playing XI. However, their right positions also have to be determined.
India's tour of Zimbabwe comprises of five T20Is and is scheduled to begin from Saturday, June 6 onwards. On that note, let us take a look at who should open the innings alongside Shubman Gill in the upcoming series.
#1 The No. 3 debate
As mentioned earlier, the new-look Team India will have to slot in two crucial positions in the top order. In the long run, Yashasvi Jaiswal is the favorite candidate, but from the series' point of view, India will have to come up with an alternative.
Since Kohli is also no longer in the T20I plans, the No. 3 spot is also up for grabs. It remains to be seen whether the Rishabh Pant experiment will continue in the long run, but for the time being, the second-string squad have to fill in the slot.
The modern-day No. 3 is arguably just an extension of the opener role and it is hardly a specialist role now. As a result, the favored candidates for the opening role at present, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Abhishek Sharma, are more than capable of batting at No. 3 as well.
Gaikwad batted at No. 3 in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign, allowing Ajinkya Rahane and Rachin Ravindra to have a go amid the Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) opening woes. In the three innings he was employed in the role, Gaikwad scored 86 runs at an average of 28.67 and a strike rate of 153.57.
His exploits include the brilliant half-century against the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium and also the three-ball duck against the Gujarat Titans (GT). He also recently played in the middle order during the Maharashtra Premier League.
Abhishek Sharma, on the other hand, was briefly pushed to No. 3 during the IPL 2024 campaign when the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) tried to test out the Travis Head-Mayank Agarwal combination at the top. In the couple of innings he played in the position, Sharma scored 92 runs at an average of 46 and a strike rate of 213.95.
Additionally, the No.3 debate will persist even after Yashasvi Jaiswal returns to the mix. While both Abhishek Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad have a chance to feature in the playing XI for now, there is a chance that one will have to make way in the latter portion of the series.
#2 Left-right combination
The importance of a left-hand-right-hand combination is well-known and there is a conscious effort to implement it throughout the batting lineup, with the one at the top being largely controllable.
India had a long-term right-handed pairing of KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma at the top. When the pair were not in the scheme of things after the 2022 T20 World Cup, the team have almost always tried to field a left-hand-right-hand opening combination using the likes of Gill, Kishan, Jaiswal, and Gaikwad.
If they want to continue along those lies then a pairing of Gill and Gaikwad does not fit in.
#3 Skillset
What makes the selection debate between Abhishek Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad great is the diverse skills that they bring to the table. The pair are different players in every conceivable way.
Gaikwad has increased his scoring rate in recent times, buckling under the pressure of the modern-day needs. However, he is still not the ideal go-all-out aggressor that is needed at one end of the opening pair, and neither is Gill.
The fact that Gill and Gaikwad are too similar, in terms of how they go about their innings and the fact that Sharma brings something fresh and exciting to the table, goes against Gaikwad.
As a result, an opening combination of Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad might not be the kind of message that the new-age Indian side would like to send out.
On the other hand, Sharma being a raw prospect, with his left-handed aggressive style of batting, should be tested out, straightaway kickstarting the mission to find the best squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup.