Rohit Sharma's replacement as India opener for ODI World Cup 2027: Top 3 contenders

Star India batter Rohit Sharma has been put on a very tightrope by the Indian selectors following his inconsistent performances in recent times. Ever since winning the Player of the Series Award in Australia in 2025, Rohit’s returns with the bat have seen a seesaw curve.

The India opener had scored 387 runs from 11 innings at an average of 35.18 and a strike rate of 95.79 until his century during the third ODI against England at Lord's. His inability to cash in during the powerplay and struggles against spin in the middle overs have further exacerbated things for the veteran star.

To make matters worse, reports claim that Rohit Sharma is not in the plans for the ODI World Cup 2027 in Southern Africa despite his recent ton. If the report turns out to be true, India will have an opening spot vacant in the team, but given the abundance of talent in the country, it wouldn’t be too big an issue to find the right successor. Here are three players who could succeed Rohit Sharma as opener at the ODI World Cup 2027:

1. Yashasvi Jaiswal

The young opener has been knocking on the doors of selectors with his stellar performances in a short ODI career so far. Jaiswal has proven his worth in the limited opportunities in the 50-over format, having scored 285 runs from six innings. Yashasvi Jaiswal has already scored two centuries in the format, including a breathtaking 110* (86) in the recent third ODI against Afghanistan in Chennai.

With his consistent showing, Jaiswal is the front-runner to replace Rohit Sharma in the opening slot.

2. Ishan Kishan

The wicketkeeper-batter has also scored heavily in his 31-match ODI career so far. Kishan has 1093 runs to his name at an average of 43.72 and a strike rate of 106.94. He’s also a part of the 200-club in ODIs, having slammed the fastest double century in 50-over cricket off just 126 balls, batting as an opener against Bangladesh in 2022. Kishan recently scored a breathtaking 125 (79) against Afghanistan on his return to ODIs after over two years, and his flexibility in the batting order also makes him an ideal candidate to be Rohit’s successor.

3. Abhishek Sharma

India have another Sharma ready to take over the reins from Rohit, who’s also known for his belligerent strokeplay. Abhishek has already proven his worth with remarkable exploits in T20Is, having scored 1618 runs from 52 innings at a sensational strike rate of 190.35. Abhishek has all the shots in the book to utilise the powerplay in ODIs, and developing a different gear to his batting can make him a complete, formidable player of the 50-over format as well.