Team India head coach Rahul Dravid made several speculations die their natural death while addressing the press conference on Wednesday, January 10 ahead of the three-match T20 series against Afghanistan. From the absence of a few key players to the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, Mohali weather and the opening combination, Dravid spoke on several topics.
Dravid was asked if there was an option of Rohit and Kohli opening the batting for India and the head coach while conforming the latter's unavailability for the series opener, said that the captain and Yashasvi Jaiswal will be at the top of the order in the three-match series. However, Dravid was quick to mention that this doesn't mean that there might not be any changes to this pair, but for the time being, these two will continue.
“We're certainly opening with Rohit and Jaiswal. When you have such a squad, you have the flexibility to do what is in the best interest of the team. Nothing is closed but we're happy with what Jaiswal has done as an opener for us. He gives us a left-hand combination as well at the top,” Dravid said.
Jaiswal, who is one of the nominees for the ICC Emerging Player of the Year Award, scored 430 runs in 15 T20Is, at an average of 33.07, while striking at 159.25 including three half-centuries and a hundred in the Asian Games. The young left-hander has opened alongside Rohit Sharma in four Test matches but will be doing the same in the T20Is for the first time.
Rohit, who hasn't played T20I for 14 months now, will be eyeing a good start in Mohali amid colder temperatures with all the attention on the T20 World Cup. Jaiswal and Rohit opening means Shubman Gill could sit out at his home ground and even for the whole series with Virat Kohli set to come back from the second game onwards.
