Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra has identified a competition between opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and middle-order batter Ruturaj Gaikwad for reserve positions in Team India’s squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027. He also commented on the diminishing white-ball prospects of wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant after his exclusion from the squad for the upcoming ODI series against West Indies.Chopra shared his views on JioHotstar’s ‘Follow the Blues’ programme ahead of India’s three-match home ODI series beginning on September 27, which will mark the return of ODI specialists Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to the team. Gaikwad has been selected in place of Shreyas Iyer, who is participating in the Asian Games 2026 in Japan. Dhruv Jurel has been preferred over Rishabh Pant as a backup wicketkeeper, following a commendable Test tour of Sri Lanka where Jurel scored a century and a fifty. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal is also included in the squad.Chopra remarked, “You have to think about who you can take along as reserves for the World Cup. So, there will be a toss-up here between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who are both part of this team, and whenever they have played, they have scored a lot of runs. So, I am looking at an opportunity opening up for one of these two. Auqib Nabi (maiden ODI call-up for West Indies series) has been travelling with the team for some time now, but is not getting a chance to play in the XI. If he gets his opportunity, I will be quite excited to see him perform.”Jaiswal has accumulated 285 runs in six ODIs at an average of 71.25, including two centuries and a highest score of 116 not out. He has predominantly been a Test regular, scoring 2,612 runs in 31 matches at an average of 47.49, with seven centuries and 13 fifties.Gaikwad, with limited ODI exposure, has scored 228 runs in nine matches at an average of 28.50, including a century and a fifty. He made his maiden ODI century against South Africa last year while substituting for the injured Iyer. Gaikwad boasts an outstanding List A record of 5,334 runs from 104 matches at an average of 58.61, with 21 centuries and 20 fifties, including a best of 220 not out.Regarding Sharma and Kohli’s return, Chopra stated, “The World Cup is just one year away now, and I know that if Rohit and Kohli get in, they will score runs, win you matches, and possibly win you trophies. So, looking at it from this perspective, the only expectation from Rohit and Kohli is just this: keep scoring runs.”In 2026 ODIs, Kohli has scored 384 runs in six innings at an average of 64.00 and a strike rate exceeding 106, including one century and three fifties. Sharma has scored 379 runs in nine innings at an average of 42.11 and a strike rate above 99, including a century and a fifty, with a highest score of 138 against England at Lord’s.On Pant’s omission, despite having played only one ODI since recovering from a road accident in 2024, Chopra observed that Pant’s appointment as captain of the Rest of India squad for the Irani Cup against Ranji Trophy champions Jammu and Kashmir highlights his significant role in Test cricket. However, in white-ball formats, “he has been bid goodbye without playing”.Chopra said, “Rishabh Pant is a very strange and very unique case. While he is playing Test cricket and is a very important member of the red-ball side, he was stripped of his vice-captaincy duties there as well. But in ODI cricket, without playing, he has been bid goodbye. At the same time, he has been made the captain of the Rest of India (ROI), which also tells you that, with respect to red-ball cricket, they are very serious about Rishabh playing a huge role in the longer format. But for white-ball cricket, as of now, I think this selection committee has made up its mind.”Pant has scored 871 runs in 31 ODIs over 27 innings at an average of 33.50 and a strike rate of 106.21, including one century and five fifties. After his accident in 2022, KL Rahul took over as the primary wicketkeeper-batter for India and has maintained his place with consistent performances.Chopra also addressed all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s return to ODIs after missing matches against Afghanistan and England. He noted that from a World Cup perspective, one among Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Jadeja will likely be excluded, making it imperative for Jadeja to seize opportunities.“One big highlight, in my opinion, was pulling Nitish Kumar Reddy out of the Asian Games and playing him here. So, if Hardik Pandya is not available someday, they really want somebody who can bowl pace and bat as well. Ravindra Jadeja will have to, of course, take wickets and score runs. Fielding has always been his strong suit. But from a World Cup point of view, you have Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar, and not all of them will go to South Africa. So, someone will be left out, and therefore, every time you get an opportunity, you have to grab it with both hands,” he concluded.Since 2025, Jadeja has featured in 13 ODIs, scoring 149 runs in 10 innings at an average of 29.80 with a highest score of 32. He has taken 12 wickets at an average of 45.17, with best bowling figures of 3 for 26. In his most recent ODI series against New Zealand, he scored 43 runs in three innings with a best of 27 and did not take a wicket.India’s squad for the West Indies ODI series is: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (vice-captain), Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj, Auqib Nabi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Naman Dhir.
Aakash Chopra cites toss-up between Jaiswal and Gaikwad for India’s World Cup reserves
