Gautam Gambhir and his fascination for unique moves are well-documented by now. Whether it is the idea to use Axar Patel regularly at no.5 in ODIs even with KL Rahul succeeding there, or the move to promote Harshit Rana to no.7 in a T20I against Australia, Gambhir seldom backs away from his instincts. After all, he was the one who introduced Sunil Narine as an opener in the IPL, remember?
If reports are to be believed, Gambhir is set to add another chapter to his list of unconventional decisions. With Shreyas Iyer out due to injury, the no.4 slot is up for grabs in India's batting line-up and Gambhir is likely to bring in Ruturaj Gaikwad to fill that void in the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi.
According to RevSportz, there are strong indications about Gaikwad slotting in as the no.4 with Yashasvi Jaiswal expected to partner Rohit Sharma at the top of the order. Gaikwad's inclusion in the middle order does come as a surprise, given that he is a specialist opener in white-ball cricket, although he has batted at no.3 in the IPL for Chennai Super Kings. Still, batting in the top-three is his role.
Intresting... No. 4 for Ruturaj pic.twitter.com/XxHstmUFU5
— Rohit Juglan (@rohitjuglan) November 28, 2025
However, Gaikwad is an exceptional player against spin and that could be one reason behind Gambhir's latest plan. There was the option of KL Rahul the stand-in skipper to move to no.4 but it appears as if the Karnataka batter will continue to bat in the lower middle order, given the success that he has gotten there.
Should Gaikwad play, it could mean a longer wait for Rishabh Pant who hasn't featured in an ODI since August 2024. There is a possibility of both featuring, if India decide to go with just five specialist bowlers. Ravindra Jadeja at no.7 is a sureshot starter, so it is about who India wants at no.6 - a specialist batter like Pant or an all-rounder in Nitish Reddy or Washington Sundar?
