When India plays Ireland, will Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma start at the top? Do they intend to enter with four spinners?
The T20 World Cup needs to get the customary buzz this time.
India, traditionally the overwhelming favourite entering every World Cup, doesn’t seem as sure of themselves this time around. In the final few weeks of the IPL, several of their players appeared pretty fatigued, and most of them were not at their best.
Some of the best Indian players don’t seem to be as confident and swaggerous as they were in the most recent IPL 2024.
It was telling that no single player headed for the World Cup was included in the most recent IPL 2024 final. Except for Shivam Dube, Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant, and Virat Kohli, the other players’ IPL performance was erratic.
Captain Rohit Sharma’s inconsistent performance before the World Cup was a big concern, but his deputy Hardik Pandya’s performance with the bat and the ball has been much worse.
But the Indians are confused about Kohli’s form. His 741 IPL runs at a 154 strike rate as an opener for RCB, which has compelled the team management to consider him for the same spot in the T20 World Cup. That might require one of the two expert openers, Rohit or Yashasvi Jaiswal, to change their order to make room for Kohli.
For most of his T20 International career, Kohli batted third for India, amassing 276 runs in 80 innings at a strike rate of 135.But he has an even better record as an opener, amassing 400 runs in nine innings with a strike rate of 161.
However, Rohit, India’s regular opener, had a poor IPL season. Except for a century and a fifty, Rohit did not accomplish much with the bat and was caught five times by single-digit scores. He struggled against the spinners in the IPL 2024, falling to spin six times at a strike rate of 127.
The same was true for Yashasvi Jaiswal, his opening partner, who this season with the Rajasthan Royals only achieved a fifty and a century in 16 games.
The tough decision facing the team management is whether to stick with openers Rohit and Jaiswal or promote Kohli to start the innings. Wasim Jaffer, a former Indian hitter, recommended that Rohit bat at No. 3 or 4 and that Kohli begin with Jaiswal.
Even Rahul Dravid, the head coach, was reticent.
“We will not reveal our cards just yet, but we do have options,” the spokesperson said. He stated on Monday, “We have Virat opening in the IPL as well as Rohit and Jaiswal.”
“We selected the team with the understanding that we have three options and can select the one we like based on the circumstances and lineup we bring to these matches.”
After missing the first few IPL matches due to injury, Suryakumar Yadav performed admirably, scoring 345 runs at a strike rate of 167 in 11 games. However, he was not his usual reliable self, as he three times fell for ducks and three under-20 knocks.
A couple of India’s selection problems were resolved in the warm-up match against Bangladesh. After hitting 53 from 32 balls, Rishabh Pant cemented his position as the wicket-keeper, surpassing Sanju Samson, who was asked to open but failed.
The team management was greatly relieved by Pandya’s 40 not out from 23 balls, during which he blasted two fours and four sixes in the final overs, although his bowling still appears rusty. Shivam Dube, who had a poor practice match score of 14 off 16 balls but did well to capture a few wickets with the ball, will undoubtedly start after him.
Suryakumar, who can strike the boundaries in the latter overs, will be India’s best option if they still need a finisher with Rinku Singh’s lower order of quality. Although Hardik could not score a single fifty during his 14 games as a batsman for the Mumbai Indians. He did manage to amass merely 216 runs off the bat, but his timely knock in the practice match should be a significant boost.
Only a few days before the T20 World Cup, the bowling unit also performed admirably in the practice match, increasing their confidence. Although they had trouble stopping the run flow, Mohammed Siraj (9.18) and Arshdeep Singh (10.03) performed admirably with the ball in New York.
With the new ball swinging, Arshdeep grabbed 2/12 in three overs, while Jasprit Bumrah and Siraj claimed a wicket.
The IPL season it ended poorly for the spin quartet of Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav.
IPL 2024 wrist spinners Kuldeep and Chahal each took just five wickets in their final four games. While Jadeja lost four of his previous five games without picking up a wicket, and Axar never took more than two wickets in a contest all season long.
While Axar took 1/10 in two overs and Kuldeep and Jadeja went wicketless against Bangladesh, Chahal was not employed, suggesting he might not be selected for the first game against Ireland.
India has not reached the World T20 final for the past ten years. They advanced to the semifinals in 2016 and 2022 but lost in the 2021 group stages.
Ireland struggled at the bat in their warm-up match against Sri Lanka, folding at 122 after being set 164 for victory. They will face India in an easy first game. In order to prepare for the crucial second match against Pakistan on Sunday, the Indians will be looking to beat Ireland and tick all the boxes.
During the practice match, the drop-in pitch at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York appeared highly challenging, with assistance being provided to both pacers and spinners. Bangladesh fell for 122 in the second innings as their spinners provided some excellent support, making batting difficult.
The game on Monday between Sri Lanka and South Africa at the same location was low-scoring. Before South Africa battled at the bat and won by six wickets in 16.2 overs, Sri Lanka was bowled out for 77.
Considering the early games, spin will undoubtedly be a factor in the India-Ireland encounter. It would be interesting to see what kind of surface is being constructed.
India may be tempted to use three frontline spinners, including all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, to guarantee their batting depth. Alternatively, they might use Shivam Dube as the finisher or, if necessary, a fourth spinner, with Hardik Pandya as the second seamer.
India will be confident in its ability to continue its winning streak against the Irish on Wednesday. Having won all seven of its T20 international matches, India has now won all seven of its T20 International matches.
Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh.
Who, in your opinion, should be in the Indian squad for the first game against Ireland?
Also Read : T20 World Cup: India hopes to defeat Ireland from the outset