(PTI Credit)
Prior to India’s World Cup curtain-raiser against Ireland on Monday, Rahul Dravid fielded queries about India’s opening duo for the upcoming match. In response, he shared his insights, setting the stage for speculation and anticipation about India’s lineup strategy for the crucial tournament opener.
India faces a major dilemma ahead of their T20 World Cup opener against Ireland in New York’s Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday: deciding on their opening partnership. While India hinted at their choice during a warm-up match against Bangladesh last Saturday, head coach Rahul Dravid opted to maintain suspense until June 5.
Before India’s World Cup kickoff against Ireland, Dravid was queried about India’s opening pair. The cricket luminary remained tight-lipped, leaving speculation about the team’s strategy.
“We’ve got options, so we are obviously not going to reveal our cards just yet, but certainly we’ve got options. We have Rohit and Jaiswal and Virat opened in the IPL as well. We picked the team keeping in mind that we have three options and we could pick and choose what we wanted depending on the conditions and kind of combination we go into these games with,” he said.
Dravid’s remark follows India’s decision to exclude Jaiswal from the warm-up match against Bangladesh, opting for Sanju Samson and Rohit as openers in Kohli’s absence. This move hinted at Kohli’s potential role as an opener in the upcoming ICC tournament. Despite limited appearances as an opener, Kohli boasts a formidable record, including his memorable 122* against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup 2022.
