T20 World Cup: Rohit-Kohli Opening Pair? Axar or Jadeja? – The Big Questions

T20 World Cup 2024: Prior to India's curtain-raiser clash against Ireland, we delve into the major questions.

ICC T20 World Cup: Kohli-Rohit Opening Pair? Axar or Jadeja? – The Big Questions for India ahead of first match against Ireland.

(Photo: BCCI/Altered by The Quint)

Not that parallels can be drawn on the thrill scale, considering how unexcitable the pitch at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium has appeared so far for the batters, and how tempestuous the political pitch of the nation appears to be, but only a day since the conclusion of the electoral campaign, the commencement of the Indian cricket team’s 2024 ICC T20 World Cup will be put on display.

India’s journey will start with a match against Ireland, and considering the hosts, USA, and Canada are also placed in the same group, the inaugural champions are poised to dazzle their way into the Super 8.

That being said, there are a few key questions lingering around team selection prior to the first match. Let’s analyse what those are:

Two Stalwarts, Who Are Rarely Seen Together

(Photo: BCCI)

Until recently, Yashasvi Jaiswal seemed destined to open alongside captain Rohit Sharma. However, an unimpressive Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign, coupled with the management’s inclination towards the inclusion of Shivam Dube in the playing XI, has now resulted in provision for only one opening pair.

The two most experienced members of the team – Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli – are likely to open the innings.

The latter’s numbers as an opener should not spark any concern among the Indian fans. In nine T20Is wherein he opened the innings for India, Kohli has scored 400 runs at an average of 57.1 and a strike rate of 161.3.

Virat Kohli’s numbers as an opener in T20I cricket:

• Innings – 9

• Runs – 400

• Deliveries – 248

• Dismissals – 7

• Average – 57.1

• Strike Rate – 161.3

Moreover, the former captain is coming into this competition on the back of a remarkable IPL campaign for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, where he accumulated 741 runs at an average of 61.8 and a strike rate of 154.7 – all whilst batting as an opener.

So, what could be the only plausible caveat?

That, despite their individual success, Sharma and Kohli have opened together for India in international cricket on just one occasion.

The Dube Decision

(Photo: BCCI)

Barring the opening pair, Shivam Dube will also be drawing attention from the batting unit, but for contrasting reasons.

Dube was selected for the T20 World Cup squad at the expense of one of India’s more consistent T20I batters in recent times, Rinku Singh. At the time of selection, it appeared to be a perfectly rational decision, for Dube had scored 350 runs at a strike rate of 171.6 in his first ten innings at the 2024 IPL.

Yet, caught in some inexplicable wizardry, his purple patch waned ever since the squad was announced. In the following four matches, he could only score 46 runs at an average of 11.5. Having shown enough faith in his abilities to warrant a place in the playing XI, India would expect Dube to find his mojo back.

Shivam Dube’s IPL 2024 numbers before squad announcement:

• Innings – 10

• Runs – 350

• Deliveries – 204

• Dismissals – 7

• Average – 50

• Strike Rate – 171.6

Shivam Dube’s IPL 2024 numbers after squad announcement:

• Innings – 4

• Runs – 46

• Deliveries – 40

• Dismissals – 4

• Average – 11.5

• Strike Rate – 115

Stick to the Bigger Picture, or Pick Horses for Courses?

(Photo: BCCI)

India have not adhered to the majority’s template in this competition, for in their squad, four spinners have been selected. Rohit Sharma explained this strategy during the squad announcement, citing their experience in the West Indies as a guiding factor.

From what we have seen so far, the selection committee will be cautiously joyful, for the tracks in the islands have been aiding spinners. At the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, however, the scenario is antithetical.

Both in India’s warm-up match against Bangladesh, and in the Group D clash between Sri Lanka and South Africa, it was the pacers who extracted significant purchase off the surface, whilst spinners were comparatively quiet.

This leads to a critical question – will India stick to their Super 8 plans and play three spinners, or rather, opt for a more pragmatic horses-for-courses approach, and play three pacers?

If the latter is chosen, we can expect to see Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh partnering with Jasprit Bumrah in the pace attack.

Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel – One Vacancy, Two Candidates

(Photo: BCCI)

The previous dilemma presents an auxiliary conundrum – in the event of selecting three pacers, and with both Dube and Hardik Pandya expected to feature in the playing XI, there will be vacancies for only a couple of spinners.

Kuldeep Yadav, for his performances across both formats of white-ball cricket recently, is likely to have the edge over Yuzvendra Chahal for the specialist spinner position.

There is, however, a contentious battle for the role of a spin-bowling all-rounder, between Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.

While Jadeja boasts more overall experience, the margin narrows in T20 cricket. Jadeja has 66 T20I caps compared to Axar's 52. Their recent performances further complicate the decision.

Ravindra Jadeja vs Axar Patel in T20Is since 2022:

• Ravindra Jadeja – 220 runs in 10 innings at an average of 36.7 and a strike rate of 140.1, 7 wickets at an economy rate of 7.70 runs per over

• Axar Patel – 287 runs in 21 innings at an average of 19.1 and a strike rate of 151.9, 36 wickets at an economy rate of 7.54 runs per over

Ravindra Jadeja vs Axar Patel in IPL 2024:

• Ravindra Jadeja – 267 runs in 11 innings at an average of 44.5 and a strike rate of 142.8, 8 wickets at an economy rate of 7.85 runs per over

• Axar Patel – 235 runs in 12 innings at an average of 29.4 and a strike rate of 131.3, 11 wickets at an economy rate of 7.66 runs per over

The management might be in a fix whilst finalising the player for this position, but hardly anything to separate the pair based on both recent T20I numbers and IPL 2024 statistics. It might come down to seniority and experience, which will tip the scales in Jadeja’s favour.