"Program mein thoda change reheneka" - Twitter explodes as Rishabh Pant opens in 2nd India vs West Indies ODI

In a surprising move, India sent wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant to open the innings alongside Rohit Sharma in the second ODI against West Indies on Wednesday.

Pant has never opened in international cricket before. He was an opener in his early domestic and IPL years, but was seen only as a middle-order option for India. In the first ODI he batted at No.4, a position he also occupied in the three-match series against South Africa last month with decent success.

The move also caught the netizens unaware, and they reacted with their opinions, apprehensions and some rib-tickling memes. The following are the best of the reactions:

Why is Rishabh Pant opening instead of KL Rahul?

This decision could be an attempt to accommodate KL Rahul in the Indian middle order. Rahul missed the first ODI and returned to the team for the second at the expense of young Ishan Kishan, who is also a designated opener.

Rahul averages 40 and 56.53 at No.4 and No.5 spots respectively. Over the last few years, he has been seen as a solution to India's perennial middle-order issues. Opening with Pant will allow Rahul to retain his position, while also giving the Delhi Capitals skipper his favored spot in white-ball cricket.

It could be a masterstroke or a disaster depending on how the wicketkeeper-batter fares in the new role. But it's certainly the first major punt of the Rahul Dravid-Rohit Sharma era. Pant, with his ability to be aggressive in the powerplay, could be the perfect top-order impetus that India's hitherto circumspect ODI style needs.

However, if this is indeed a long-term move and the management is planning to give Rishabh Pant a long rope as an opener, the likes of Shikhar Dhawan and Ruturaj Gaikwad could feel hard done by.