Rohit Sharma's Indian cricket team is all set to kick off its campaign in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 as it faces Ireland in a Group A match on June 6 in New York. After registering a thumping win in their only warm-up game against Bangladesh before the main World Cup edition, the Men in Blue will look to leave no stone unturned and overcome the Irish challenge.
How the Indian team shapes its combination is a fascinating thing as it could go a long way in the future. While some places seem set in stone, there are some spots which the team would mull about before hitting the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium. Here is what the Indian team could look like in their tournament opener on Wednesday.
Change in opening combination?
After watching the India vs Bangladesh warm-up match, we might be seeing the Men in Blue going with the opening combination they played only once in T20I cricket - Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. There was no sight of Yashasvi Jaiswal, who made 435 runs in IPL 2024, in the warm-up game against Bangladesh with the bat which might give two impressions.
The first - India might be looking at Rohit and Virat as their openers for the start of the tournament; the other - Jaiswal has impressed enough with his one hundred and a fifty in IPL 2024 that he walks straight into the Playing XI without a warm-up game.
No Jaiswal, Samson
If Kohli and Rohit open, there might be no place for Jaiswal in the team. One thing which could go his way is his left-hand batting ability but India have Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja in their ranks to give that edge.
Sanju Samson was given the chance to open in the warm-up game against Bangladesh but returned for a six-ball one. His wicketkeeping counterpart Rishabh Pant smashed a 32-ball 53, making him almost a certain at number three if Kohli and Rohit open.
India's Probable Playing XI vs Ireland:
Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh
