Shubman Gill discusses the competition for the opening berth in the 2023 ODI World Cup with Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and KL Rahul.

The BCCI’s selection committee may have narrowed the field to a manageable 15 players for the T20 World Cup in Australia later this month, but as the Men in Blue continue to prepare for the 2023 ODI World Cup, which will be hosted in India, the selectors’ joyful headache is set to persist. One of those significant selection issues will be the opening combination, where India has up to four choices in addition to a few fringe players. And one of those candidates, Shubman Gill, spoke candidly about his rivalry for the part alongside Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Shikhar Dhawan on Thursday. Indian vs. South African first ODI live score

Gill has opened for India in four of the six innings he has played in the format this year, reaching three fifties and 287 runs at an average of 143.50. Veteran batsman Dhawan, who has five fifties this year and 542 runs in 13 innings as an opener, will be a tough opponent for him. Due to the World Cup this year, Rohit and Rahul have primarily played in T20I matches. This year, they have opened the batting six and five times, amassing 171 and 107 runs.

Rohit and Rahul will return as regulars in the ODI format once Australia’s T20 World Cup assignment puts pressure on Gill and Dhawan, but the youngster seems unfazed.

“With the [ODI] World Cup, there is no pressure; we have played in similar circumstances before. However, I must do well. Before the ODI series between India and South Africa in Lucknow, he informed the broadcasters, Star Sports, that since the World Cup is taking place here in India, it would be much more enjoyable.

Former Indian hitter and interim head coach VVS Laxman said that next year, selecting the team’s batters for the World Cup would be challenging.

We have a lot of options due to the skill in the batting department. Next year, the selectors will need to make a difficult choice (for the ODI World Cup). For the kids, it’s an opportunity. They haven’t always had the opportunity, but they have a history of winning matches, so I won’t classify them as a backup team. This series is widely anticipated by everyone, he remarked.