IND vs AUS: Shubman Gill-Ishan Kishan to open in first ODI, confirms Hardik Pandya

Stand-in India skipper Hardik Pandya confirmed the opening pair that will feature in the forthcoming ODI match against Australia. The two cricketing powerhouses will battle in a three-match ODI series which is scheduled to commence on Friday, March 17.

Ahead of the first ODI, Hardik Pandya confirmed that Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan will open for the Men in Blue. Notably, Hardik leads in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma, who is out owing to family reasons.

Gill relished a terrific outing against New Zealand in the three-match ODI series as he got a double-century and a ton to his name. On the other hand, young sensation Kishan endured an underwhelming series against the Kiwis as he returned string of low scores. In any case, the duo will be raring to get vital runs and cement their spot in the side considering the 2023 ODI World Cup in around the corner. 

Hardik Pandya rules himself out of WTC Final

Team India cemented their spot in the summit clash of the ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 cycle following the 2-1 win over Australia in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Rohit Sharma and Co. were aided by New Zealand’s last-ball thriller against Sri Lanka in their Test which saw them sail through to the red-ball ICC event finale.

India and Australia will now meet for the summit clash at the Oval, with the contest starting from from June 7. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya ruled himself out of the WTC Final as he stated that it would be ‘ethically wrong’ considering that he has hardly played a part in India’s red-ball success. 

“No. I am ethically very strong person. I haven’t done 10% to reach there. I am not even a part of 1%. So me coming there and taking someone’s place will ethically not go well. If I want to play Test cricket, I’ll go through the grind and earn my spot. Hence, for that reason I will not be available for the WTC final or future Test series until I feel that I have earned my spot,” Pandya said.

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