India is on a winning run in this ongoing showpiece event in the Americas, much like how they were last year during the 50-over World Cup at home. And although they had a separate yet settled opening pair playing through all patches, they still made little tweaks to stay ahead of everyone. Likewise, at the 2024 T20 World Cup, they must consider changing the winning XI to ensure a smooth and attacking batting line-up with the tournament entering its business end.

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Where does the problem lie?

Having the opening pair of Captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli looks best for a fantasy app, but the idea doesn’t seem to work anywhere close to what the coach and management thought it would.

Though Virat’s T20I numbers are exceptional, he has failed to put value on his wicket in four outings thus far in the tournament. With three single-digit scores, including a zero against the USA, Kohli hasn’t looked in his element this time. That puts pressure on already out-of-touch and ageing Rohit Sharma to score upfront, which he clearly hasn’t done.

Rishabh Pant’s promotion and form at number three, with ace T20I batter Suryakumar Yadav providing a cushion at number four is what saved Team India from any embarrassment. 

Although the situation doesn’t look as grave, bringing in Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top, dropping Kohli to his favourite position at three, and demoting Pant to number five, where he played most of his white-ball cricket, even in the IPL, can bring more balance to the side.

Considering his form, Jaiswal’s inclusion can boost India’s Powerplay numbers, allowing them to go all out from the ball one – a precedent used by most teams in this format.

Why change Pant’s batting position?

Although there aren’t many explanations that can justify this, for the greater good, this looks like a viable solution. 

Rishabh batting at number five will kick out-of-touch Shivam Dube from the playing XI, with the team having ample options from SKY to Pant to Hardik Pandya and even Ravindra Jadeja to try from in a dire situation.

Why Jaiswal must play the Bangladesh game?

After beating Afghanistan convincingly, India has at least one foot in the semis, and for them to ensure their qualification, they must win one of their two remaining Super 8 matches (against Bangladesh and Australia). 

With Bangladesh next and Australia at the end, Team India can experiment with this change in the XI and give Jaiswal two matches before the knockout stage arrives. 

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