‘Once Rohit Sharma leaves…’: Sehwag reveals who will inherit India’s opening slot

India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal, left, and Rohit Sharma (AP Photo) Former India spinner Virender Sehwag has backed Yashasvi Jaiswal to become a regular in India’s ODI set-up once Rohit Sharma retires from the format after next year’s World Cup in South Africa and Zimbabwe. According to Sehwag, Jaiswal has the ability to succeed in all three formats, but the current composition of the Indian side leaves little room for him at the moment.

Which player do you think will compete with Yashasvi Jaiswal for a place in ODIs after the World Cup?

Jaiswal has appeared in four ODIs so far and has already made a strong impression. His standout performance came in his last ODI appearance against South Africa in Visakhapatnam last year where he remained unbeaten on 116 off 121 deliveries to register his maiden century in the format.Despite the high rating, Sehwag acknowledged that India’s current opening combination makes it difficult for Jaiswal to consistently break into the side.“But there is no place now. Shubman Gill is the captain. Rohit Sharma is playing. Once Rohit Sharma retires, you will see Jaiswal playing white ball and one-day cricket as well. Ruturaj Gaikwad could be his competition though. But if you take three openers, you will definitely see Jaiswal among them,” said Cricbugzz.The former opener pointed out that Jaiswal’s ODI opportunities have largely come when senior players were unavailable, rather than due to permanent openings in the squad. However, he emphasized that the youngster has consistently performed whenever he has been given a chance.“You see, he only came into the ODI team because someone like Gill or Sharma wasn’t available. It wasn’t that he got a chance and then didn’t perform. When he got a chance, he performed very well. It wasn’t that he was dropped after not performing. He was in the team because someone didn’t play.”“Ishan Kishan is also not a part of one-day cricket. He has made a double hundred in ODIs, the fastest. So he is also a player in the reckoning. But I would definitely like to see Jaiswal in one-day cricket and T20Is, I mean in all three formats. He is a player who can play all three formats,” explained Sehwag.

Should India consider Jaiswal for both T20Is and ODIs?

Former India batsman Manoj Tiwary, who was also part of the discussion, shared a similar view and put Jaiswal at the top of his list of future ODI openers. Tiwary believes the left-hander should be India’s first-choice candidate once the senior players are promoted after next year’s World Cup.“He is number one on my list. Two players will retire after the World Cup next year. But he may be picked earlier. But if that doesn’t happen, then definitely the first name will be Jaiswal after those players retire. Then the names you (host), Sai Sudharsan, Ishan Kishan and Devdutt Padikkal have taken. That should be the order,” Tiwary said.With competition from players like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Ishan Kishan and Devdutt Padikkal, the battle for future Indian spots remains intense. However, both Sehwag and Tiwary feel that Jaiswal has done enough to firmly establish himself at the front of the line-up whenever the opportunity finally arises.