Team India’s preparations are in full swing as Rohit Sharma and his boys gear up for the much-awaited T20 World Cup starting Sunday in the West Indies and the United States of America. The men in blue will begin their campaign against Ireland on June 5 in New York. But before getting started, India will take on Bangladesh in a warm-up fixture on Saturday at Nassau County, New York.
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India have picked up a team of talented 15 players but the challenge lies in fielding a balanced XI, based on the playing conditions in the US. Eyes will be on India’s opening combination as it will be interesting to see if Virat Kohli accompanies Rohit Sharma at the top of the order.
Kohli has had a phenomenal IPL season with 741 runs in 15 matches as an opening batter. He even took the Orange Cap, becoming the first Indian batter to win the prestigious honour twice in tournament history. However, the inclusion of Yashasvi Jaiswal has made the selection process trickier. The left-hander had a roller-coaster ride in IPL 2024 with 435 runs, including a century.
A section of cricket experts and fans want the duo of Rohit & Kohli to open the innings for India in the World Cup. But former India all-rounder Suresh Raina believes that Kohli should stick to his No.3 position while Rohit should have Jasiwal with him to open the innings.
“I prefer Virat to play at No. 3 in the World Cup. He’s a run machine. Yashavi is in good form, and I’m sure he will do well as an opener. So, in my opinion, Virat should play at number 3,” Raina said on the sidelines of an event in Delhi.
Dube is the Trump Card
Raina, the first Indian batter to score a ton in T20 World Cups, further mentioned that the team management must find out a way to have Shivam Dube in the playing XI as his six-hitting abilities can do wonders for the team in the World Cup.
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“Jaiswal is young and he plays fearlessly. The same is the case with Shivam Dube. The management should make a place for him. The way Dube smashes sixes, very few players have such an ability. We have seen Dhoni and Yuvraj doing such power-hitting in the past.
“Dube is your trump card but if Jasiwal is in the XI, then the all-rounder might miss out. So, captain Rohit Sharma has to make the tough decision because Dube’s presence ensures an extra cushion of 20-30 runs,” Raina added.
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