Shubman Gill or Yashasvi Jaiswal - who should be Rohit Sharma's opening partner in Champions Trophy 2025? Dinesh Karthik picks

Dinesh Karthik says India wouldn’t want to experiment much in the ODI series against England.

Team India’s preparation for the Champions Trophy 2025 got underway on a bumpy note when they lost the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka by 2-0, failing to chase down the targets in any of the three ODIs.

India have only one ODI series left – against England in February – before the next marquee ICC men’s tournament.

Under new head coach Gautam Gambhir, there seems some instability in the middle-order as Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, two outstanding performers during the World Cup 2023, don’t have certain spots anymore with the return of Rishabh Pant.

India’s top order, though, is settled and fixed for now with Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli. But would Gambhir want to have a look at Yashasvi Jaiswal as an opening option for the Champions Trophy? Former India wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik reckons Gambhir should stick with Gill for now, despite the right-hander’s underwhelming returns in recent times.

Jaiswal has a great opportunity to be the backup opener: Dinesh Kartik

Jaiswal has taken international cricket by storm in the other two formats. He averages 68 in test cricket. In 23 T20Is, he has an average of 36 with a strike rate of 164, which combine for outstanding numbers in modern-day white-ball cricket. He is yet to make his ODI debut.

Karthik opined that Jaiswal is an apt backup opening choice and that India should persist with Gill as Rohit’s opening partner in ODIs.

“Rohit and Shubman are a very good combination. Yes, Jaiswal has a great opportunity to be the backup opener and will get his opportunity soon if Shubman doesn’t go as well as expected. And India has a very solid middle order as well,” Karthik told Cricbuzz.

“In the lead-up to the Champions Trophy, they are just going to be playing three more games. And I am pretty confident it’s going to be Rohit and Shubman opening for the Champions Trophy,” he added.

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