Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma came on the field to open for India against Ireland in the first match of T20 World Cup 2024. This was the first time in an ICC tournament that this pair opened for India, but this experiment was completely unsuccessful in this match. Virat Kohli was out after scoring just one run, but now the question is will India field the same team against Pakistan or will there be some changes?
Will Kohli-Rohit open?
If Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli open for India, then this can give Team India a chance to play more all-rounders in the lower order. On the other hand, if a change is made and Rohit-Yashashvi open and Kohli comes at number three, then India will have to make many changes and then it is possible that players like Shivam Dubey or Akshar Patel may have to sit out. This can affect the lower order and the team can become weak. In such a situation, it seems unlikely that the Indian team will try anyone other than Rohit-Kohli as openers.
The team will have to trust Virat Kohli as an opener once again. He performed brilliantly as an opener for RCB in IPL 2024. Kohli is such a player that if he gets going then the opposing bowlers are in trouble. However, his bat did not work against Ireland in the first match but it is not necessary that it will happen against Pakistan as well. Virat Kohli’s record in T20 is strong.
There is little chance of change in the playing eleven
There is little chance of any change in the combination with which Team India took the field against Ireland. Team India can also take the field against Pakistan with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav. After that there will be all-rounders like Shivam Dubey, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Akshar Patel. Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Mohammad Siraj performed brilliantly in the first match, so these three will also work to strengthen the team.
India’s probable playing 11 against Pakistan
Rohit Sharma (captain), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dubey, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh/Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj.
