India's road to T20 World Cup 2024: Key questions facing coach Rahul Dravid and Team India management

India have only three more T20Is to test themselves before the T20 World Cup 2024 which starts some four and half months from now in the West Indies and the USA. Those three T20Is are against Afghanistan at home and the series begins on Thursday at Mohali. Now in these three T20Is, India just doesn’t have to find their perfect combination, but also have to try to fit in Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who are back in the squad after a gap of 14 months.

This changes the dynamics a lot. There’s no guarantee that Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill are India’s preferred openers. In fact, coach Rahul Dravid on Wednesday confirmed that India will open with Rohit Sharma and Jasiwal, which means Gill will have to sit out or drop at No .3 slot. Virat Kohli will be playing as No. 3, but as he is not able to join the team for the first T20I due to personal reasons, Gill could get a go ahead. However, it looks certain that he will have to sit out in the last two matches.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 will be the main tournament from which the squad will be picked, it seems, but a good performance in a blue shirt cannot be discounted. For youngsters, especially for someone like Tilak Varma and Jitesh Sharma, the Afghanistan series is the ultimate opportunity, because in IPL, there’s no guarantee of form over two months and it’s possible that even after good performances, they may get overshadowed by more established players.

Also, we mustn’t forget that some of the top players including Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer and Hardik Pandya are missing due to various reasons, while Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami have been rested.

As India gear up for the Afghanistan challenge, we take a look at the key questions facing Dravid and Co. ahead of the World Cup.

Who are the openers?

There are at least four candidates — Rohit, Jaiswal, Gill and Gaikwad — however, for now, the coach has confirmed that it will be Rohit and Jaiswal. Rohit hasn’t been in good form in T20s recently. In IPL 2023, he scored just 332 runs in 16 matches at an average of just above 20 and a strike rate of 132.80. In fact, no batter has made more T20 runs at a poor average and strike rate than Rohit in the last five years.

But he has ODI form behind him. At the 2023 World Cup, he scored with a strike rate of over 130 in the powerplay. The focus will be on the same in T20Is. His strike rate in powerplay can be a big reason behind his selection or non-selection for the World Cup.

In this context, Jaiswal has an advantage over Gill and Rohit. Jaiswal’s strike rate in powerplays in T20Is since the start of 2023 is 163.69, Gill meanwhile scores at 138.44. Apart from a right and left combination, Jasiwal with Rohit should also allow India to have a quick start and this is going to favour Jaiswal in the long term as long as he keeps scoring.

Kohli at No. 3?

The best position for Kohli would have been to open, but with Jasiwal doing so well and providing a left-right combination, the former captain’s promotion to the top seems unlikely. But the challenge for Kohli is to improve his strike rate.

In IPL 2023, he had a strike rate of 110 against spinners in middle overs. At No. 3, he will be expected to face spinners more often than not and it’s an area where he will have to work.

Audition for Tilak and Jitesh

With Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul out of the squad and no clarity on their return, Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma are set to battle for the wicket-keeper’s slot. Jitesh is expected to get the initial nod, given there is a lack of space in top order and Samson is not seen as someone who can be a finisher. Whoever gets a chance, only a consistent performance will help them nail a permanent spot in the squad.

Tilak also has been tried out a few times at No. 3. Though he may not get to play there against Afghanistan and could come out at No. 4. Nonetheless, this could be a final opportunity for him because Surykumar and Hardik are waiting to come back.

Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan and Mukesh Kumar

The audition for the pacers will continue as well. Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi are way ahead in the race for the spinners and nothing should stop them unless they get injured or lose form completely, but the same can’t be said about the pacers. Bumrah and Shami are waiting for a comeback and this means the performance of Arshdeep, Mukesh and Avesh will be closely scrutinised. India will eventually have to pick one or two at max from this mix to take to the World Cup.