Who Will Replace Shubman Gill As Opener in 4th ODI? India's Probable Playing 11

The Indian Cricket Team will see a few changes to their squad for the final two ODIs of the series against New Zealand. Captain Shubman Gill along with few other Test regulars will leave the squad and will begin preparations for the Test series.

Vice-captain Shreyas Iyer will take charge of the team for the last two ODIs and would be keen to take his team to series win. India are 2-0 ahead in the series after three games and one more win will seal series for them.

However, it won’t be easy task for India as they will be without their key players during the NZ vs IND 4th OD. One of the players that will be a big miss will be the captain Shubman Gill. Not only the team will miss him as a captain, but also as a batter and as an opener. With Shubman Gill set to miss last two games, fans have been wondering about India opener in 4th ODI vs NZ.

Who Will Be Shubman Gill Replacement in 4th ODI vs New Zealand?

As per the reports in Times of India, it is learned that Ruturaj Gaikwad will be the opener in India playing 11 for 4th ODI vs NZ alongside Rohit Sharma. India also have an option of Ishan Kishan, who has the experience of batting at the top.

But it seems that Kishan will be taking the spot of KL Rahul in the team at No. 5. Opening the innings will be a great opportunity for Ruturaj to make his case strong for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027.

Gaikwad is an experienced batter and is arguably one of the best batsmen in India at the moment. However, with plenty of talent in the country, he has found limited opportunities.

Big Responsibility on Ruturaj Gaikwad

Ruturaj Gaikwad has been seen as a cover for Shreyas Iyer in the middle over last few months. He had a decent time in the series against West Indies, and before that, he had slammed a century in the ODI against South Africa at home.

Gaikwad will have a huge responsibility on his shoulders as replacing Gill comes with a lot of baggage. Gill has been one of the best ODI batsmen and has been doing bulk of scoring for India. Although, he didn’t make much impact with bat in two games, his captaincy was up to the mark.

Coming to Ruturaj, he has done a great job in limited opportunities in ODIs. In the 12 games, he has slammed 329 runs at an average of over 36. He also has hit two half-centuries and one century in his career so far.