'Yashasvi Jaiswal a gun. He and Rohit will go as hard as they can': Virat Kohli opener theory shelved by ex-AUS captain

The 2024 T20 World Cup is up and running with co-hosts USA and West Indies both recording wins on the opening day. Indian fans got a glimpse of the team during their warm-up match against Bangladesh on Saturday. It was the only warm-up game that India played and they were hardly challenged, winning the match by 60 runs. Rohit Sharma opened the innings with Sanju Samson, seemingly to take a look at the latter as an option. However, the Rajasthan Royals captain fell after scoring just one run in six balls. Rishabh Pant was the wicketkeeper, thus confirming that he is the first choice in that position. Pant also had a fantastic outing in the warm-up match, smashing 53 in 32 balls and then retiring out.

Rohit also got to take a look at Shivam Dube's bowling ability, getting the all-rounder to bowl three overs. India in fact used as many as eight bowlers in the match. The notable exceptions who didn't get a chance to play in the warm-up match were Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Yuzvendra Chahal. While Kohli was unavailable for the match, having arrived in New York just a day earlier after a long flight from India, spinner Chahal was on the field a number of times during drinks breaks. Jaiswal was absent entirely and this came amid speculation as to whether he would be dropped from the playing eleven altogether in order to ensure Virat Kohli opens the innings with Rohit.

Former Australia captain Aaron Finch said that India have the perfect batting lineup if the average score in the tournament hovers around the 180-run mark. He also backed Jaiswal to have a big impact if he plays in the tournament.

“Say it is a 180-style tournament, then India have got a very good side for it. (Kohli) can bat long into the innings and still strike at 150,” said Finch, who retired after leading Australia to their maiden T20 World Cup title in 2021, on The Grade Cricketer podcast. “Jaiswal is gun, he tees off with Rohit Sharma up top, they will go as hard as they can. Once Virat then gets in then the other ones continues to go really hard because everyone know that he is going to bat long,” he said.

‘Everyone was talking about the aura of the Australian team in the World Cup’

Australia have a chance of completing a unique treble if they win the T20 World Cup, since they are already the reigning champions of the World Cup and the World Test Championship. Finch was part of the broadcast team for the 2023 World Cup in India which Australia won despite getting off to a horrendous start.

“When I was in India for the World Cup, even when Australia lost the first two games everyone kept saying that they are still the team to beat. I was thinking the way they are playing at the moment, they are not,” he said. Australia started the tournament with heavy defeats to hosts India and South Africa. Pat Cummins's side however went on an incredible run after that which ended with them stunning a dominant India in the final and winning the World Cup.

“They weren't playing good cricket in the first two games, really poor against South Africa in the second, got convincingly beaten by India in the first game. But everyone was talking about the aura of the Australian team in the World Cup so that is something that you feel and hear it talked about when you are playing. But to hear it so often when you are on the other side of it was unbelievable. It goes to Australia having a great record in the World Cup,” said Finch.