"I am not keeping Sanju Samson in it at the moment" - Aakash Chopra on the fight for India's T20I openers' positions
Aakash Chopra reckons four players will compete for the openers' positions in India's T20I side. He doesn't see Sanju Samson as an option at the top of the order.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli opened for India in all games in the 2024 T20 World Cup. However, both veterans have announced their retirement from T20Is, thereby opening up opportunities at the top of the order.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Abhishek Sharma are the potential opening options, with Samson unlikely to be a contender.
"Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have both left. If both have gone, it means you will search for openers. So who are all the options available to you - Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Abhishek Sharma. I am not keeping Sanju Samson in it at the moment because I am not seeing him as an opener," he said (3:30).
The former India batter reckons Yashasvi Jaiswal should be the first-choice opener.
"You will have to finalize three among these four eventually but before that, you will have to decide which two to play. If we go based on the pecking order, Yashasvi Jaiswal deserves it first because he has come after winning the World Cup. He didn't play but he won," Chopra reasoned.
Chopra feels Ruturaj Gaikwad might be ahead of Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma in the pecking order.
"Then Ruturaj Gaikwad because he played very well in the last tournament (T20I series against Australia). Then Shubman Gill and then Abhishek Sharma. The equation should be something like that," he observed.
Gaikwad smashed 223 runs at an average of 55.75 and a strike rate of 159.28 in five innings in the T20I series against Australia immediately after the 2023 ODI World Cup. It included an unbeaten 123 off 57 deliveries in the third T20I in Guwahati.
"He is your X-factor" - Aakash Chopra on Abhishek Sharma
![Abhishek Sharma was at his explosive best in IPL 2024. [P/C: iplt20.com]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/07/9af06-17202376235472-1920.jpg?w=500)
However, Aakash Chopra acknowledged that Abhishek Sharma brings unique skills to the table.
"However, the truth is that considering the form Abhishek Sharma has been in, the way he has batted, the ability he has to become an all-rounder, left-arm spin and left-handed batter, he is your dark horse, he is your X-factor," he said in the same video (4:10).
While opining that the Punjab southpaw should be considered, the cricketer-turned-commentator noted that the opening selections would be interesting.
"You have got the X-factor right at the top. So it's extremely necessary to think about him as well. So the first fight will be which three among the four, and in that who to be selected now. Shubman and Abhishek Sharma are great friends, and VVS Laxman has gone there. So it will be very interesting to see which two players will open," Chopra stated.
Shubman Gill has confirmed that Abhishek Sharma will open with him in the first T20I against Zimbabwe in Harare on Saturday, July 6. While Ruturaj Gaikwad is expected to bat at No. 3, there could be a change in the top three after the second T20I, with Yashasvi Jaiswal supposed to join the squad.