Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir has laid out a clear blueprint for young batter Yashasvi Jaiswal to cement his place in the ODI side, following the left-hander's maiden century in the format. Jaiswal's brilliant knock of 102 not out was instrumental in India's series-clinching nine-wicket victory over South Africa in the third and final ODI in Visakhapatnam on December 7, 2025.
The Gambhir Blueprint: Splitting the ODI Innings
Analysing Jaiswal's performance, Gambhir emphasized the importance of finding the right tempo in the 50-over game. He advised the young opener to view an ODI innings not as one long aggressive burst, but as two distinct phases. "In one-day format, you need to know the template you want to play," Gambhir stated in an interview with Crocin. "You don't need to bat aggressively in one-day cricket, because you can split it into 30 overs and 20 overs."
Gambhir elaborated on this unique 30-20 strategy, suggesting it is perfectly suited to a player of Jaiswal's calibre. "If you play 30 overs like one-day cricket – and the quality that Jaiswal has, if he can bat till 30 overs – there is no doubt he will be close to a hundred. Even after that, you have 20 overs left, which you can look at as a T20 match," he explained. Gambhir believes that once Jaiswal masters this pacing, "the sky is the limit" for the talented batter.
Jaiswal's Learning Curve and Mentorship
Jaiswal, who was playing only his fourth ODI after replacing the injured captain Shubman Gill, acknowledged the challenge of converting starts into big scores. He revealed that he has been in constant dialogue with captain Rohit Sharma about finding the right balance. "We have been chatting a lot about how we can play and what tempo we can play. So, I'm trying to understand," Jaiswal said in the post-match presentation.
The 23-year-old outlined his thought process during the match-winning innings, which involved calculated aggression. "Sometimes I need to be attacking and sometimes I was thinking, okay, maybe I'll take a single or I'll run the game. So, that was my plan," he shared. He also highlighted the crucial role played by Virat Kohli at the other end, who helped him break the chase into manageable targets. "Virat paaji... kept giving me small targets that I need to focus on. So, it was helping me towards my goal as well," Jaiswal added.
The Bigger Picture: Format Synergy and Future Prospects
While Gambhir was clear that established stars like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, and Shreyas Iyer will reclaim their spots when available, he sees immense potential in Jaiswal. The century has undoubtedly given the national selectors a pleasant headache and a viable option for the top order.
Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar, speaking on JioHotstar, pointed out a significant long-term benefit of Jaiswal playing white-ball cricket. He argued that opening in ODIs helps a Test specialist like Jaiswal better handle the "ups and downs of international cricket." Bangar explained, "It keeps you in touch, keeps you playing against international bowlers, and you get those vital performances. That helps you take form from one format to another."
Looking ahead, Bangar envisioned a formidable future pairing. "Once Rohit is done, I clearly see Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill benefiting from batting in the top order in white-ball cricket. That will also help their Test cricket game," he concluded. For now, Jaiswal has taken a giant leap forward by embracing the challenge of pacing an innings, with Gambhir's 30-20 formula serving as his guiding principle.
