Ruturaj Gaikwad or Yashasvi Jaiswal - who should be Rohit Sharma's opening partner in IND vs SA 2025 ODIs?

Veteran batter Rohit Sharma will have a new opening partner when India take on South Africa in the three-match ODI series, starting November 30 in Ranchi. The BCCI announced the 15-member squad on Sunday, November 23, with KL Rahul named captain in place of regular skipper Shubman Gill, who has been ruled out due to a neck injury.

The squad also sees the return of Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant, Tilak Varma, and Ruturaj Gaikwad. With Gill unavailable, Rohit will need a new partner at the top, and the management will have to choose between Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal for the role.

On that note, we look at whether Ruturaj Gaikwad or Yashasvi Jaiswal should open alongside Rohit Sharma in the upcoming 50-over series against the Proteas.

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How have Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal fared in List A cricket?

Maharashtra batter Ruturaj Gaikwad made his List A debut in 2017 and has since played 89 matches, including six appearances for India, in which he has scored 115 runs. Overall, he has accumulated 4,534 runs in 86 innings at an average of 57.39 and a strike rate of 100.86, with 18 fifties and 17 centuries.

Meanwhile, Yashasvi Jaiswal made his List A debut in 2019 and has featured in 33 matches, including one game for India, where he scored 15 runs. In total, he has amassed 1,526 runs at an average of 52.62 and a strike rate of 85.97, with seven fifties and five centuries.

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Current form of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal

Ruturaj Gaikwad was recently in action for India A in the three-match unofficial ODI series against South Africa A. India A won the series 2-1, with Ruturaj being named Player of the Series after scoring 210 runs in three innings, including one fifty and one century.

Meanwhile, Yashasvi Jaiswal is currently playing in the ongoing two-Test series against South Africa. In the first Test in Kolkata, he returned scores of 12 and 0. In the ongoing second Test in Guwahati, the left-hander scored 58 runs in the first innings.

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Ruturaj Gaikwad is in better form, but the odds favour Yashasvi Jaiswal

Considering their List A records and recent form, Ruturaj Gaikwad seems to be in better touch than Yashasvi Jaiswal. Even so, Jaiswal could still be the one chosen to open with Rohit Sharma in the upcoming series.

One reason for this is that Jaiswal has been ahead of Gaikwad in the selection order recently. Gaikwad last played an ODI in December 2023, while Jaiswal made his debut earlier this year against England in February. The Mumbai batter was also initially included in the Champions Trophy squad before being replaced by Varun Chakaravarthy.

Jaiswal was part of India’s previous away ODI series against Australia, which they lost 2-1. Since he has been regularly involved with the team in recent months, and because his left-handed batting creates a right-left combination with Rohit Sharma, he remains a strong option despite Gaikwad’s impressive numbers.

Rohit and Jaiswal have also worked well together in Test cricket. Before Rohit stepped away from the format, they opened in 28 innings, scoring 1,269 runs at an average of 45.32 with five half-centuries and three century stands. This makes them a reliable pair in Shubman Gill’s absence.

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Yashasvi Jaiswal the frontrunner once Rohit hangs his boots

Another strong reason for Yashasvi Jaiswal to start is that he is widely seen as one of the next big names in Indian cricket. With Shubman Gill now the captain, Jaiswal appears to be the frontrunner to take on the right-handed batter’s opening-partner role whenever the team transitions to a new combination in the future.

Still only 23, the southpaw has already shown tremendous potential in the opportunities he has received. With multiple factors working in his favour and the impact he is capable of making, Jaiswal should ideally open with Rohit for the South Africa series, while Ruturaj Gaikwad may have to wait a little longer to cement his place.