India woke up to an unfortunate piece of news on October 6 (Friday) as star opening batter Shubman Gill was reported to have been suffering from dengue ahead of the Men in Blue's ODI World Cup opening match against Australia. The decision on Gill's participation in the upcoming blockbuster match is likely to be taken on Friday or Saturday depending upon the 24-year-old's test results.
If Gill misses the match against Australia, it will be a massive blow for India as the young willow-wielder has been in the form of his life. Talking about Gill's numbers in 2023, he has scored the most runs in ODIs among all the batters. The attractive batter has amassed 1,230 runs in 20 innings at a stupendous average of over 72. Gill has notched five centuries and as many half-centuries in 50-over international cricket in 2023.
In case the 24-year-old batter fails to return a negative test or recover in time, who will open the innings alongside Rohit Sharma? Let's take a look at three options at Team India's disposal.
Ishan Kishan: The left-handed explosive batter will probably be the front-runner to open the innings with captain Rohit if Gill misses out against Australia. As an opener, Kishan's record in ODIs is impeccable. In seven innings while opening the batting for the Men in Blue in 50-over international cricket, the southpaw has scored 448 runs at a stupendous average of 74.66 and a spectacular strike rate of 125.13. Kishan has three half-centuries and one double-hundred as an opener in ODIs.
KL Rahul: Another potent option could be the right-handed wicketkeeper-batter, who for the majority part of his career, opened the innings for whichever team he played for. In 23 innings while opening the batting for the Men in Blue in 50-over international cricket, the stylish batter has scored 915 runs at an average of 43.57 and a strike rate of 79.70. Rahul has scored three centuries and six half-centuries as an opener in ODIs.
Suryakumar Yadav: Well, using the explosive right-handed batter as an opener can turn out to be a double-headed sword. Suryakumar has the experience of opening the batting in T20Is and in Indian Premier League (IPL). Rohit and the Indian team management could explore the idea of using Suryakumar at the top of the order and asking him to be aggressive against the Aussie new-ball attack. In IPL 2018, Suryakumar opened the innings for the Mumbai Indians and scored 512 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 133.33.
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