Team India has begun its preparations ahead of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in New York. The Men in Blue have most of their players from the T20 World Cup 2022 with Rohit Sharma continuing to lead the side while Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Suryakumar Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya featuring yet again. With a few new additions and the return of Jasprit Bumrah, there is a promise with this Indian line-up but the history of the last decade or so in the ICC events doesn't inspire confidence.
Yashasvi Jaiswal is another addition into the side that played in Australia in 2022 as the left-hander has been in smashing run both in T20Is and Tests for India in the past 12 months or so. Jaiswal is likely to open the innings alongside skipper Rohit Sharma with Virat Kohli coming in at No 3. However, former India opener Wasim Jaffer in a radical change has suggested that skipper Rohit should bat in the middle order, at No 4 preferably as he bats better against spinners.
"Kohli & Jaiswal should open in the World Cup imo. Rohit & SKY should bat 3&4 depending on the start we get. Rohit plays spin really well so batting at 4 shouldn't be a concern," Jaffer wrote on Twitter (now X). Jaffer may be suggesting that because Kohli had a rip-roaring season in the IPL for RCB opening the batting as he won the Orange Cap scoring 741 runs.
However, Rohit hasn't had a great record against spinners in the middle overs too and the sudden change might also impact the rest of the line-up. The only likely move that India could pull off, would be Kohli opening the batting with Rohit and Jaiswal missing out altogether if the Men in Blue want to fit both Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya in the XI.
The only warm-up match against Bangladesh in New York on June 1 might give Indian team a better idea of the playing XI they would want to play in their first game against Ireland but Virat Kohli won't be available for the same.
