Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are slated to open for India in the third ODI against Australia as the team sheet which came out after the toss showed the duo’s name as openers in the playing eleven. Regular opener Shubman Gill has been sent home to manage his workload and reserve opener Ishan Kishan has been ruled out of the third ODI due to illness.
This provides an opportunity for Rohit to open with Virat for the first time in ODI cricket. This is not the first time Rohit and Virat have opened in international cricket for India.
The duo opened for India in a T20I against England in March 2021 which was India’s last international assignment before the T20 World Cup in UAE which proved to be a tournament to forget for India as the Men in Blue were knocked out of the tournament in the group stage.
Rohit and Virat to Open for India against Australia
On Tuesday, Captain Rohit Sharma confirmed in the pre-match conference that five players – Shubman Gill, Mohammed Shami, Hardik Pandya, Shardul Thakur, and Axar Patel – were unavailable for the match in Rajkot and on the match day, there was another absentee from the XI.
While Rohit Sharma confirmed Ishan’s absence during the toss, the BCCI posted a statement on the same right after the toss in Rajkot. “Ishan Kishan was unavailable for selection for the 3rd ODI due to an illness,” the statement read. “Additionally, four local state players – Dharmendra Jadeja, Prerak Mankad, Vishwaraj Jadeja, and Harvik Desai will support the team for drinks and fielding throughout the match.”
The Options
KL Rahul is another option if India wants him as an opener but the possibility of that happening is minimal given the fact that the team management has assigned him the role of the middle-order batter who can also keep wickets. Shreyas Iyer, on the other hand, has never been a designated opener for the side and furthermore, scored a century at no.3 in the previous game.
Iyer has had only three games under his belt since returning to cricketing action after a back injury, and it would be futile to change his batting position at this point.
