Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad opened for India in all five T20Is against South Africa and are likely to do the same against Ireland, but despite good success – Ishaan scoring two fifties and Ruturaj one – both There will be no place. XI when regular captain Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul return to the team. Ruturaj may not even make it to the team as it will see the return of Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav. Once known for winning T20 matches on their own, fearing the top three, Rohit, Rahul and Kohli have rarely played together since last year’s T20 World Cup. While Rahul had a decent IPL with the Lucknow Super Giants, the two pillars of India’s limited-overs batting unit – Rohit and Kohli – had the worst season.
Also, his strike rates have been under scrutiny for quite some time now. Asked whether these three are still indispensable in India’s T20I squad, especially after seeing what Kishan can do at the top of the order, former India wicketkeeper-batsman Saba Karim, who has served as a member of the selection committee had also worked, said that they walk into the XI but the selectors should not shy away from negotiating difficult if they are unable to mold their batting according to the demands of the modern game.
“A tough call for the selectors. At this stage, I am sure all three of them (Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul) will move into the XI,” Saba Karim said in response to a Hindustan Times query in a selection. Media interaction organized by Sony Sports Network ahead of Ireland T20I.
Karim said that Rohit, Kohli and Rahul have enough experience to change their approach and bat at a better pace in the shortest format of the game.
“If they are being criticized like this, then it is up to them to find a solution so that they can emerge better. And if that is not happening, then the team management or the selectors have to be informed about the individuals involved. Need to have a tough conversation with because there is tough competition. The players you named have enough experience to make necessary changes in their batting so that it is beneficial for the national side. I am sure they are the ones with modern T20 batting. understand the needs of,” he said.
Rohit, Kohli are currently preparing for the Birmingham Test in England while Rahul is battling a back injury that has ruled him out of the series.
Hardik Pandya is set to lead India in the two-match T20I series starting June 26 in Ireland.
Watch the live coverage of Ireland vs India – 1st & 2nd T20Is on 26 & 28 June 2022 at 9:00 PM IST on Sony SIX (English), Sony TEN 3 (Hindi) and Sony TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels.
