India’s roadmap to T20I World Cup: More confusion, few solutions

Despite the temperature hovering in single digits here the fans braved the cold to wait for Team India’s bus. Most waited for a glimpse of Indian cricket’s Big Two – Virat Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma. Later, head coach Rahul Dravid, sporting a beanie cap, would inform the media that Kohli would miss the first match due to personal reasons and would be available for the next two games.

Rohit’s flight got delayed, and he arrived at the stadium an hour late.

Dravid confirmed that Rohit, who is returning to the T20I team after a gap of 14 months, will open with Yashasvi Jaiswal.

“As of now, we will certainly be opening with Rohit and Jaiswal,” Dravid said. “But when you have a squad, you have to have that flexibility to do whatever is required if that is in the best interest of the team and gives us the best chance to succeed. So, nothing is closed. But certainly, we’re really happy with what
Jaiswal has done as an opener for us, and he gives us a left-right combination as well at the top.”

With Dravid locking Jaiswal and Rohit as first-choice openers, which means the IPL’s leading run-getter Shubman Gill will bat at No.3 in Kohli’s absence and might have to warm the bench when the senior returns for Indore and Bengaluru games.

Kohli and Rohit to open?

Dravid kept the door open for the possibility that Virat and Rohit could also be tried as an opening pair. “Nothing is closed (Kohli opening with Rohit). We have no doubt that the kind of ability and skill sets players like Rohit and Kohli possess, they will be able to find answers against different kinds of bowling,” said Dravid.

On the issue of Jaiswal, Dravid said the southpaw gives left and right combination at the top, but at the same time said that a left-handed batsmen in the top order wouldn’t get preferential treatment.

Of all possibilities, the team management haven’t denied using an opening combination of Rohit and Kohli, coach Dravid confirmed in Mohali. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

“It is not only about the left-handers; it is about their ability to play through that certain period and to be able to tackle different types of skill there are. We have no doubt about the quality and skill Virat and Rohit possess, they will be able to find answers with the kind of form they are in. It is not about right and left; it is about the ability to score against different kinds of bowling. Yes, Tilak, Rinku and Jaiswal add a nice string to the bow, but at the end, you will only make your decision on performances, not only on right-handers and left-handers,” said Dravid.

Lack of preparation for T20 World Cup?

The three-match series against Afghanistan will be the last international games Team India will be playing before the T20 World Cup, which begins in June. The Indian coach admitted that there is no time to prepare for this year’s T20 World Cup, and the management will have to bank on the IPL to pick the team.

“Obviously, for the large part of last year and after the last T20 World Cup, we had to prioritise the ODI World Cup. There’s not a lot of games after the ODI World Cup in terms of the T20 format. So this T20 World Cup is slightly different from that perspective in the sense that there hasn’t been a lot of time to prepare for it, so we had to rely on the cricket we have and also a little bit on the IPL. The boys will play T20 cricket here, as well as the IPL. We might not get many opportunities to play together, so we just have to work around that and adapt,” said Dravid.

“There’s been quite a few ICC events in the last few years and a lot of them were back-to-back. So there hasn’t been a lot of time in between these events, so at various stages in the last couple of years that I have been here, we had to prioritise certain formats and certain tournaments simply because of the amount of cricket being played,” said Dravid.

“It’s impossible for all the players to be playing all the time so we have always had to prioritise on what is important, especially for the guys playing all three formats. Even in this series, people like Bumrah (Jasprit), Jadeja (Ravindra) and Siraj (Mohammed) have missed out, keeping in mind that there are five Test matches against England next. So, you have always been playing that juggling act a little bit over the last two years.”

Domestic cricket route back for Ishan

On Wednesday, The Indian Express reported that Ishan Kishan had been dropped from the T20 squad as the team management wasn’t happy with him asking for a break before the Test series in South Africa.

However, Dravid has said the left-hander will be back into the national fold once he makes himself available for selection, but he must perform in domestic cricket.

• IND vs AFG: Why India need to find a spot to accommodate Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top?
• Virat Kohli set to miss 1st T20I match against Afghanistan
• India vs Afghanistan: Was it mistrust that resulted in the dropping of Ishan Kishan?

“Ishan Kishan was not available for selection. He requested for a break in South Africa which we agreed to. He has not made himself available for selection and when he does, I am sure he’ll play domestic cricket and make himself available for selection,” Dravid said.

The Indian Express understands the Jharkhand player will not be playing the Ranji Trophy and will play the IPL directly.

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