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The build-up around Champions Trophy 2025 is right around the corner with teams announcing their respective squad for the prestigious tournament. However, host nation Pakistan and 2013 winners India have still not announced their squads for the competition. The silence from the cricket boards of the two nations have raised buzz around major changes that the cricketing community can witness in the squads of the arch-rivals.
In the midst of uncertainty of how the Indian team would look like, former Indian opener Virender Sehwag has selected the two batters he would like to see opening for India in the prestigious tournament. His selection has raised talking points amongst fans and analysts alike.
Virender Sehwag reveals his surprise pick as India’s opening pair
While Shubman Gill is the designated opener in white-ball cricket along with Rohit Sharma, there is a speculation that India may choose a different opening batter to start the innings along with Rohit after Gill’s horror-show with the bat during India’s recent tour to Australia where they lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time after a decade.
Sehwag has echoed these speculations and revealed that he would rather see Yashasvi Jaiswal open for India alongside Rohit in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025. The youngster is expected to make his ODI debut for India soon and fans expect a similar class in batting from Jaiswal which he displayed in Test cricket.
“Jaiswal should get a chance in the fifty-over format. He bats aggressively in Test cricket and T20Is and I think he will achieve success in ODIs as well. He should be a part of the team,’’ Sehwag said during an interaction with Switch.
Additionally, Jaiswal has not been included in the India’s T20I squad which is set to play a 5-match series against England on the home soil. India are also scheduled to play a 3-match ODI series against the English team but its squad has not yet been announced.
Also Read: Virat Kohli to Rohit Sharma: When did the top 5 Team India players last play in a domestic match?
Only batter for India with impressive numbers in BGT 2024-25
Amidst a dreadful batting display from the Indian team throughout the BGT series, Jaiswal was the only batter who displayed exemplary skills and scored decent runs in the series. The 23-year-old is the second highest run scorer in the 5-match Test series with 391 runs to his name. Jaiswal’s performance during the 1st Test in Perth was a standout of his time in Australia where the youngster scored an impeccable 161 runs off 287 balls.
Jaiswal has established himself as a regular starter in Test cricket for India. The ace Indian opener played his debut match against the West Indies at Roseau on July 12, 2023 and since then has made 1,798 runs in 36 average with a batting average of 52.88.
