Check it out: Rohit Sharma has confirmed the debut of Yashasvi Jaiswal as an opening batsman in the first Test against West Indies.

New Delhi: Captain Rohit Sharma  verified on Tuesday that there will be a new opening  cooperation for India in the first Test of the  forthcoming series against West Indies, starting in Dominica on Wednesday.

 

As the ICC World Test Championship cycle for 2023-2025 gets underway, the 21-year-old left-handed player Yashasvi Jaiswal is expected to partner with Rohit Sharma as their opening duo.

Jaiswal has had an  emotional time in white- ball justice, scoring 625 runs with an  normal of 48 and a strike rate of163.61 in the 2023 IPL.  He has also shown his skills in red-ball cricket, averaging over 80 in his first-class matches and scoring a remarkable 265 runs in the second innings of last year's Duleep Trophy final.

Filling the vacant position left by Cheteshwar Pujara, who was not selected for this tour, Shubman Gill will take the number three spot, as confirmed by the Indian captain in a press conference before the match.

Rohit said, "Gill will play at number three because he himself wants to play at that position. He discussed with Rahul Dravid that I have played my entire cricket at number three and four. I feel that if I bat at number three, I can perform better for my team. And it is good for us too because it creates a good opening combination. Left and right."

Expressing optimism about the new opening partnership and the left-handed batsman, Rohit said, "So I think we will try to do that, and hopefully, it will work out for a long time. Because we have been searching for a left-handed batsman for many years. Now that we have found one, we hope he will perform well for the team. And he can truly make that position his own."

Vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane had already hinted at including Jaiswal in the final XI and praised the youngster's performances in domestic cricket for Mumbai and his success in the IPL. Rahane advised him to play with freedom and showcase his batting skills in international cricket.

Furthermore, Rohit Sharma confirmed that India will field two spinners in the opening Test, although he did not mention specific names. It is expected that Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin will take the two spinner slots, with Akshar Patel working as a reserve spinner in the team.