(Credit BCCI)
Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan suggested that emerging batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal should partner captain Rohit Sharma at the top of the order instead of Virat Kohli in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. Pathan highlighted the dearth of bowling options among Indian batsmen in the ninth edition of the tournament.
Virat Kohli was given a rest during India’s warm-up match against Bangladesh at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on Saturday, June 1. Kohli had joined the Indian squad a day prior to the match. India secured a convincing 60-run victory over Bangladesh in the warm-up encounter.
Kohli showcased his batting prowess for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. The right-handed batsman emerged as the leading run-scorer in the T20 tournament, amassing 741 runs at an impressive average of 61.75 and a strike rate of 154.70, which included a century and five half-centuries.
Meanwhile, Yashasvi Jaiswal was overlooked for a batting opportunity in the warm-up match. This decision by the team management suggests that Jaiswal may not feature in the playing XI for Team India’s World Cup opener against Ireland at the same venue in New York on Wednesday, June 5.
Irfan Pathan says Shivam Dube Has Been Regularly Bowling In The Nets.
According to Irfan Pathan, the Indian team has the option to experiment with various combinations in their World Cup opener. Pathan suggested that they could either strengthen their batting lineup or opt for a lineup with four frontline bowlers. He emphasized that Shivam Dube has been honing his skills to make significant contributions with the ball as well.
“With the selected team, there can be two combinations. In one combination, you can play with six bowlers, including Axar Patel, to deepen the batting lineup. In the other combination, you can play with four front-line bowlers and expect Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya to bowl. Another option for Team India is a young player who bowls in the nets but hasn’t bowled in matches, Yashasvi Jaiswal. Shivam Dube also mentioned during the IPL that he has been regularly bowling in the nets, preparing to bowl one or two overs in the World Cup,” Pathan said.
Irfan Pathan says This Problem Will Be Largely Solved.
Irfan Pathan highlighted Hardik Pandya’s potential to address challenges with his bowling. The former cricketer-turned-commentator emphasized the advantage of having extra bowling options within the top batting order, drawing parallels with successful strategies employed by teams such as England and Australia.
“If Hardik can give you the option of bowling three to four overs, this problem will be largely solved. Our other batsmen, like Rohit, Virat, or Suryakumar Yadav, can’t bowl, which makes us somewhat handicapped. Ideally, if any of these players could bowl, it would greatly benefit the team. We talk about Australia, but even England has many all-rounders among their top seven players, including Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, and Will Jacks. It’s always better to have more bowling options, and yes, in this scenario, we are definitely handicapped,” Pathan added.
In the warm-up match, Hardik Pandya bowled three overs, claiming one wicket while conceding 30 runs. Considering the possibility of the team selecting only two pacers, Pandya could potentially fulfill the role of the third pacer. It is anticipated that Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh will be the preferred choices as India’s frontline pacers in the squad.
