Irfan Pathan has backed Yashasvi Jaiswal to get regular opportunities in the upcoming ODI series against West Indies, identifying him as a potential backup opener for the 2027 World Cup who needs to be groomed for the role.

Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan said that during the ODI series against West Indies, he will have his eyes on opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, noting that someone who could be the backup opener for the 2027 ODI World Cup should be given enough opportunities by the time the marquee tournament arrives. Irfan was speaking on JioStar's 'Follow the Blues'. The ODIs against West Indies will be starting from September 27 onwards. After being omitted from the England ODIs, Jaiswal has earned a comeback into the squad as Team India aims to build-up their World Cup bench strength and their main combination. Jaiswal has so far, largely operated as a back-up opener to legendary batter Rohit Sharma. In six ODIs for India, Jaiswal has made 285 runs at an average of 71.25, with two centuries and a best score of 116*. He has largely been a Test mainstay, with 2,612 runs in 31 Tests at an average of 47.49, including seven centuries and 13 fifties.

'Have my eyes on Yashasvi Jaiswal'

Speaking during the show, Irfan said on Jaiswal, "One player I will have my eyes on, in terms of the number of opportunities he gets in this one-day series against the West Indies, is Yashasvi Jaiswal. He is the backup opener in the squad, and by the time you reach South Africa for the World Cup, your backup opener should have had enough opportunities. So, whenever there is an opportunity, I would want to see him playing regularly. Obviously, you will have to think about how you create those opportunities, whether you shuffle the batting order or rotate the players, but I hope he gets his chances against the West Indies.”

'Blessing in disguise' to test bench strength

With stars like T20I skipper Shreyas Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar missing the West Indies ODIs due to participation in the Asian Games cricket tournament, Irfan said that it is a nice time to try out the team's bench strength. "This is not the main team against the West Indies for the ODIs, and I feel that’s the right way to go. Bumrah is not there, Shreyas, Axar, and Washington Sundar are all playing at the Asian Games. You are going to get only a few matches before the World Cup next year, and in those games, you want to test your bench strength as well. That opportunity has arrived now. With the Asian Games and the West Indies series happening simultaneously, it is a blessing in disguise, where a lot of young boys will definitely get a chance," he said.

India’s ODI team for the West Indies series

Shubman Gill [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul [VC], Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj, Auqib Nabi, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Naman Dhir. (ANI)

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