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Aakash Chopra predicted that neither Yashasvi Jaiswal nor Ruturaj Gaikwad will be able to accommodate themselves in India’s ODI squad for the upcoming ODI World Cup in 2027. There was debate about whether the Indian team management should consider Jaiswal and Gaikwad for the tournament. Aakash explained why these two cricketers' inclusion in the team is not possible under the current circumstances.
Speaking on his official YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra, a former Team India cricketer, reckoned that the Indian cricket team has a set group of players that represented the team against England in the recently concluded ODI series.
Why are Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal's selections not possible for the 2027 ODI World Cup?
The top and middle order of the Indian cricket team is packed with captain Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma as the openers, Virat Kohli at number three, then Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, or KL Rahul in the middle order as the keeper-batter. As there is a well-set opening combination, there will be no chance for Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has two centuries in his brief ODI career, to feature in India’s playing combination for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Ruturaj Gaikwad faces a similar situation. Gaikwad is a natural top-order batter, but can switch batting positions according to the team’s need. In the presence of Gill and Sharma, Gaikwad will not have the chance to play as an opener, and in the middle order, there are Kohli, Iyer, Kishan and Rahul, and then the all-rounders of the team.
“He (Ruturaj Gaikwad) does two jobs. He can open and bat in the middle order as well. Although he shouldn't have batted there, he was made to do that, and he scored a fifty and a hundred there. Yashasvi, on the contrary, is just a backup for an opener. However, I feel they won't take either of them," Aakash Chopra said in his YouTube Video.
Aakash Chopra predicts a possible set of Indian players for the ODI World Cup 2027
Chopra predicted that the Indian cricket team could decorate their 2027 ODI World Cup front with two spin bowling all-rounders and two pace bowling all-rounders. For the spin bowling plus batting role, Chopra selected Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja, and for the pace bowling plus batting role, he opted to go with Nitish Kumar Reddy and Hardik Pandya.
And if Aakash Chopra’s prediction turns true, then there will be a couple of keeper-batters as well in the squad for the world event. KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan can be the two keeper-batters to travel to South Africa to play the next ODI World Cup.
Aakash Chopra keeps Rishabh Pant in selection process
Chopra did not rule out Rishabh Pant as well. The out-of-favour keeper-batter, who last played an ODI match for India on August 7, 2024, was in Chopra’s choice of players.
“I feel they will take both Nitish Kumar Reddy and Hardik Pandya, and both Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. So a spot won't remain. Two keepers need to be taken. So KL Rahul plus Ishan Kishan or maybe Rishabh Pant, I don't know. Neither Ruturaj Gaikwad nor Yashasvi Jaiswal has a chance of going,” the former cricketer explained.
