Yashasvi, Shubman should open for India in future: Harbhajan Singh
May 24, 2023
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 24 : Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh said on Wednesday that young batters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill should open the batting for India in future.
In an exclusive interview on the #AskStar segment with Star Sports, former India off-spinner Harbhajan shared his insights on the future of Indian cricket and his vision for building Team India's T20 team. With his wealth of experience and deep knowledge of the game, Harbhajan highlighted the potential of young talents such as Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, and more. Emphasising the importance of nurturing youth and building a dynamic team, Harbhajan's strategic recommendations shed light on the exciting prospects that lie ahead for Indian cricket.
Speaking exclusively to Star Sports on the #AskStar segment, former India off-spinner Harbhajan spoke on who will be the future of Indian cricket, he said "If we are talking about batsmen, then I can say that Shubhman Gill has the potential. Along with him, I think Yashasvi too has the potential to be the future of India. I think Yashasvi is this year's most impressive player and in the years to come he will definitely play for Team India. Shubhman Gill will also be there, maybe he will be the captain as well. I am talking about the future here. And I also think that Tilak Varma and Rinku Singh will also be there, so I am making a squad for the future of the Indian team. They are all unbelievable talents."
Harbhajan also spoke on how he would build Team India's T20 team for the future, he said "If we look at the current form, and if we want to go in the direction of youth, then Yashasvi is the best option available. When we lost the T20 World Cup in Dubai last year, then there was much speculation that we should build a team around youngsters. Without saying anyone's name on who should be left out of the squad, I think Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Shubhman Gill, under Hardik Pandya's captaincy, there should be a new team altogether. Hardik should be captain, and Yashasvi and Gill should open the batting, along with Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma and Nitish Rana, then this team will have a lot of potential."
Yashasvi had a memorable IPL 2023 with Rajasthan Royals. In 14 matches, he scored 625 runs at an average of 48.07 and a strike rate of 163.61. He scored one century and five half-centuries, with the best score of 124. He is the fifth-highest run-scorer in IPL 2023 so far.
On the other hand, the young Punjab batter Gill is also enjoying his best IPL season so far. In 15 matches, he has scored 722 runs at an average of 55.53 and a strike rate of 149.17. He has scored two centuries and four half-centuries in IPL 2023, with best score of 104*.