(BCCI Photo)
Former Indian batting coach Sanjay Bangar has made a daring assertion regarding the composition of the Indian cricket team’s batting lineup for their inaugural match in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024 against Ireland on Wednesday, June 5, at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.
Bangar highlighted that Yashasvi Jaiswal’s absence from India’s warm-up match against Bangladesh hinted significantly at their plans for the top-order batting lineup against Ireland.
According to Bangar’s prognosis, it’s highly probable that Virat Kohli will partner with captain Rohit Sharma as the opening pair for Team India in their T20 World Cup 2024 opener, owing to their caliber and adaptability across diverse cricketing scenarios.
Sanjay Bangar anticipates that Virat Kohli will take on the role of opener for India in the opening match of the T20 World Cup 2024 against Ireland.
The former Indian cricketer further suggested that had Jaiswal been included in India’s top-order strategy, he would have partnered with Rohit Sharma as an opener in the T20 World Cup 2024 warm-up match.
Given Jaiswal’s absence from the playing XI, Bangar inferred that Virat Kohli is highly likely to step in as the opener for the Indian team in their forthcoming encounter against Ireland in New York.
Bangar emphasized the adaptability of Kohli and Sharma, emphasizing that their capability to handle left-arm spinners should not be underestimated, given their consistent performance against various bowling attacks.
He also underscored the impact of the playing conditions in New York during the warm-up match against Bangladesh, suggesting that they could influence India’s strategic decisions for the match against Ireland.
Sanjay Bangar indicates that there’s a likelihood of Yashasvi Jaiswal not being part of the playing XI in the first match.
Sanjay Bangar said on Star Sports: “I feel the team has decided to go in the direction that Yashasvi Jaiswal will probably not play the first match. If Yashasvi Jaiswal was in their plans, they would have played him in this match. Since they have not played him, it’s obvious Virat Kohli will open. They are quality players.
So, it’s not necessary that they can’t score runs against left-arm spinners. They have scored a lot of runs. The way the surface has played also tells you how the team would think. There is no doubt that Virat’s numbers will be good at whichever position you play him.”
In the meantime, Sanjay Manjrekar has thrown his support behind the notion of deploying Kohli as an opener in the T20 World Cup 2024. He believes that slotting Kohli at No. 3 doesn’t fully capitalize on his potential, and there would be immense pressure on him at that position.
Manjrekar also expressed bewilderment regarding Rishabh Pant’s batting order, particularly after his appearance at No. 3 during the warm-up match against Bangladesh at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.