Robin Uthappa backs Shikhar Dhawan as opener over Shubman Gill in India vs Zimbabwe ODI

While the Indian team gears up to face Zimbabwe in a three-match ODI series in Harare, CSK batter Robin Uthappa has shared his opinions about the possible playing 11. Uthappa, last seen in action in IPL for CSK, registered his stance of playing Shikhar Dhawan as the opener ahead of Shubman Gill in the upcoming ODI.

Initially, the squad predicted the possible openers for the Indian team as Dhawan and Gill, with Ruturaj Gaikwad building the bench strength. However, as the board cleared KL Rahul for the play, he joined the team midway as the captain. The possible combination of the team after Rahul’s inclusion suggested a new batting position for either Dhawan or Gill. And Robin Uthappa is of the opinion, that Gill should be played at no. 3 as Dhawan opens the innings with Captain Rahul.

“I actually don’t see Shubman opening in the series. My personal feeling is that he might bat at No. 3, given how well he has performed in West Indies. I think the team management is keeping a couple of things in mind. One is the T20 World Cup coming up, and the second is the 50-over World Cup,” Uthappa said.

Shubman Gill comes to Harare straight from a terrific performance in Trinidad against West Indies. The young batter won the player of the series for his impressive performance against the Indies. Gill missed out on his maiden international century against Indies as rain hindered his play at 98*. However, the missed century didn’t undermine his performance as the management went on to include him as the primary batter for the Zimbabwe series.

Shikhar Dhawan, on the other hand, has proved his mettle time and again playing as the opener for India. And Uthappa, keeping in mind Dhawan’s mind-blowing performance over the years favors Dhawan as the opener for the match.