Team India ponders Pandya, opening combo for T20 World Cup

Prior to the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the United States, Team India appears to be well-prepared. With the exception of seamer all-rounder Hardik Pandya, most players had respectable performances in the just concluded Indian Premier League, where former captain and senior pro Virat Kohli emerged as the top run-getter.

The fact that Kohli is scoring runs is undoubtedly a huge comfort for the Indian team.

But the team management will need to exercise some critical thought when it comes to the composition of the team. When India plays Ireland in New York on June 5 to start their Cup campaign, the sooner that is completed, the better.

Yes, the group stage might not be too worrying since India's opponents are the Irishmen, the minnows, and the co-hosts, the United States and Canada, excluding Pakistan. Assuming India advances to the Super Eight level, the wrinkles must be worked out in the group phase. The final XI against more formidable opponents must also be certain and obvious.

Naturally, while deciding on the playing XI, consideration will also be given to the players' present form in addition to the pitch and general circumstances in the US and the West Indies. The first decision that head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma must make in their last job as India's coach is whether Pandya will consistently be in the starting lineup.

Pandya's inclusion in the Cup team suggests he will be in the starting lineup, despite having a disappointing IPL season both as a player and as the captain of the Mumbai Indians. However, what would happen in the group phase if he doesn't click? Will he then continue to lead the team?

Is Shivam Dube, who at least had a superior IPL season than Pandya, to be picked ahead of the latter? Another possibility is to include Pandya and Dube in the XI.

"The team should actually benefit more from playing both together," said former national selector Devang Gandhi. "Hardik must bowl, of course, but Dube can fill in for a few overs if he is being pricey and failing to take wickets.

"If you have both of them in the XI, that is one benefit. In addition, Dube is currently in a stronger form than Hardik.

"Yes, Hardik's experience in India is undoubtedly valuable, but he only played in 14 IPL matches and didn't play well in any of them. Devang, who was on the national selection panel when Hardik made his India debut and is currently serving as a batting coach for the National Cricket Academy U-19 competition, stated from Ahmedabad that "the team management will definitely be taking these matters into account."

solving the puzzle

Who opens with Rohit, the skipper? Yashasvi Jaiswal is a specialist opener for India, and Virat Kohli has performed admirably up front for Royal Challengers Bengaluru this IPL.

Both Jaiswal and Kohli might be included in the starting XI, with Suryakumar Yadav at No. 4, keeper-batter Rishabh Pant, Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, and the four specialist spinners Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Mohammed Siraj coming in order of preference. However, the tail seems to be getting a little too long with this lineup, and a batting collapse might make things more difficult to handle.

"Playing with three openers (with Rohit being the other) could result from including both Jaiswal and Kohli. It also implies that the side bats one less batsman in the middle order. Thus, it remains to be seen if they choose to put Kohli and Rohit up to open," a BCCI insider said.

Jaiswal hasn't been too reliable lately in this IPL, though.

Additionally, with Rohit and Kohli up front, it will be possible to deploy Pandya and Dube in the XI with an additional batter. In that scenario, Sanju Samson, who played well at bat for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, can potentially be included to the team. Then, if needed, Samson can play as a specialist batsman.

The Indians will get a chance to test a few players on Saturday in their warm-up match against Bangladesh in New York. Additionally, it will help us predict the lineup the team will use when play begins.

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