‘Rohit, Jaiswal will open’, Gavaskar backs duo for 3rd one-day:Reveals Team India’s Achilles’ heel for the 2027 ODI World Cup

Despite India’s comprehensive win against Afghanistan through a massive 170-run victory in 2nd ODI, legend Sunil Gavaskar has revealed cracks in Team India that the team must address before the 2027 ODI World Cup. And it is not the opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal who have decently performed in one-dayers against the Afghans so far. Jaiswal and Rohit expected to open in last ODI vs AFG despite decent outings A major piece of feedback the Indian team received came from ‘Little Master’ Sunil Gavaskar, who said it is not the openers who need scrutiny. Rather, the team needs to worry about spin options and their efficiency. Notably, Rohit just added 64 runs to the board in the two ODIs that he played vs AFG. Speaking on JioStar’s ‘Cricket Live’, Gavaskar said, “I think Rohit and Jaiswal at the top will be the combination again for the last game. The spin department is where India will be looking to tick a few boxes. Kuldeep has bowled well without getting the wickets, and Harsh Dubey bowled well and picked up three wickets in the first game, but he was a little on the expensive side. That is where India will be looking for some answers over the next few ODIs.” Gavaskar backs Gill, reveals why his captaincy improved Sunil Gavaskar backed Shubman Gill on his exceptional captaincy in the Afghanistan series so far. He stated that Shubman Gill consistently getting runs has played a major role in his confidence as captain. The former Indian legend said, “When you’re not getting runs, you’re not confident about making those marginal moves that come from your gut feel. But that gut feel is a lot stronger when you’re personally performing. But if you’re not performing, even when you get a gut feel, you’re apprehensive about making that call because you’re worried about getting it wrong.” Apart from Gill, Ishan Kishan also received appreciation for his hard work behind the scenes that propelled his return to the Indian team. After a hot run in the T20 World Cup and IPL 2026, Ishan Kishan stamped his authority in the ODI format as well by slamming 125 runs in just 79 balls. ‘I wish we were in their shoes’: India’s bench strength receives compliment Speaking on JioStar’s ‘Cricket Live’, JioStar expert Graeme Swann heaped praise on India’s bench strength that keeps producing talents like Prince Yadav and Gurnoor Brar. There was a debate about ignoring names like Auqib Nabi before this series, but experts believe that it is a good headache to have for the Indian cricket board. Commenting on the privilege that India have in the form of IPL, Swann said, “India have a very strong domestic tournament in the IPL, which continues to produce players, and at some point, someone is always going to miss out. Put yourself in the shoes of other nations around the world that don’t have that luxury and would scrap just to get their best XI on the field and compete.” Swann added that, considering the tense competition, players cannot even afford a couple of decent or quiet performances. For example, Rohit was disappointed with 48, which is a decent score, but he thinks he needs to score more. Swann said, “India are in an enviable position right now, and a lot of teams around the world will look at them and think, ‘With a World Cup coming up in South Africa, I wish we were in their shoes.’”