Head coach Rahul Dravid opted not to definitively respond to an inquiry about Team Indias opening combination for the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup. The team has weighed three potential options including skipper Rohit Sharma lefthander Yashasvi Jaiswal and IPL regular Virat Kohli. Dravid highlighted that the ultimate choice will be influenced by various factors such as the existing conditions and the desired team composition.
Embarking on the cricketing journey in the initial phase of the year Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal took charge as the opening duo in the last pair of T20Is confronting Afghanistan. Yet a significant cohort of cricket pundits advocates for a strategic alignment proposing Rohit to stride alongside Virat at the forefront during the imminent T20 World Cup.
During a recent press conference on June 3 queries were directed at Rahul Dravid the Indian head coach concerning the teams opening pairings for the ongoing ICC event across the West Indies and the USA. Dravid elaborated:
“We have got options. We are obviously not going to reveal our cards just yet. We have got Rohit and Jaiswal and Virat’s opening in the IPL as well. We’ve picked the team keeping in mind that we did have three options and we could pick and choose what we wanted depending on the conditions, depending on the kind of combination we go into these games with.
“We’ll see what it’s like, but it’s nice to have some real quality options at the top of the order.”
Rahul Dravid
Rohit and Kohli were returned to the Indian T20I squad for the first time since the 2022 T20 World Cup, when the roster for the Afghanistan series was announced.
“You can’t say that we have not played good cricket in these tournaments” – Dravid on India not winning ICC events
India is once again positioned as one of the frontrunners to secure victory at the 2024 T20 World Cup showcasing consistency with previous years.
However despite their array of exceptional talents the Men in Blue have been unable to secure an ICC title since 2013. In contrast Rahul Dravid confidently stated that Indias performance in World Cups has consistently met the standards set.
“We’ve played really well in these World Cups in terms of our consistency – making the semifinals in the T20 World Cup in Australia, playing extremely well in the World Test Championship cycle to get to the final there again and then the 50-over World Cup, where we had a great run and went into the final.”
Rahul Dravid
However, the 51-year-old said that they had failed at the final hurdle, which is absolutely something they need to work on.
“You can’t say that we have not played good cricket in these tournaments. Yes, we haven’t been able to get across the line in the knockout game.
“We haven’t been able to execute in that last phase. So hopefully we play good cricket to get ourselves into those positions again and then, maybe play good cricket on the day to cross the line.”
Rahul Dravid
Last year, India reached the WTC and ODI World Cup finals but lost to Australia on both occasions.