When India reintegrated Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli into the squad for the Afghanistan series, the inevitable question arose about their batting positions. With Kohli unavailable for the upcoming T20I due to personal reasons, the plan is for Rohit and Yashasvi Jaiswal to open. However, the team’s head coach, Rahul Dravid, hasn’t ruled out the possibility of Rohit and Kohli partnering at the top in the future, a departure from the established strategy over the past 14 months. This potential change raises uncertainties about Yashasvi Jaiswal’s place in the XI, as he has been India’s most successful opening batsman in T20s.
Dravid, speaking before the first T20I against Afghanistan in Mohali, emphasized that the option of Kohli opening with Rohit is not off the table. He expressed confidence in the abilities of Rohit and Kohli to handle various bowling challenges.
Implementing this plan could leave India with insufficient firepower at the top, a critical area of concern highlighted by India’s struggles in the batting powerplay during consecutive T20 World Cups. To address this issue after the last T20 World Cup disappointment in Australia, India adopted a more aggressive approach by introducing Jaiswal at the top. This move has not only proven effective but has also alleviated pressure on the middle order. If India opts for Rohit and Kohli as openers, they may have to compromise on this strategic advantage. In the coming days, India faces a significant decision on who among Rohit, Kohli, and Shubman Gill will miss out if they decide to include Jaiswal.
The stakes are high for Jaiswal in the upcoming match, where he will have another chance to showcase his capabilities. Unlike Rohit and Gill, Jaiswal has shown better returns in the powerplay, consistently putting the opposition under pressure from the outset. Jaiswal’s statistics tell the story—In 14 innings, he has scored 292 runs in the powerplay at an impressive strike rate of 158.69. India remains unbeaten in eight games where he has crossed the 20-run mark, achieving scores of 50 or more six times in the powerplay, including one fifty by Jaiswal himself.
With such a dynamic start in the powerplay, Jaiswal’s contributions significantly tilt the battle in favor of the batting side. This allows the middle order to play with greater freedom, unburdened by concerns about the run rate. Jaiswal’s natural flair for T20 cricket aligns with the brand of play the Indian team has been striving to master, making him a potential game-changer capable of delivering a knockout punch in the first six overs.
Why Jaiswal should be in the playing XI?
The aggressive shift in India’s approach to T20 cricket brought about a crucial change—the belief that setting 200-plus totals should be the standard when batting first. For this strategy to succeed, it’s imperative for India to maintain a top-gear batting performance from the first over to the last, rather than relying solely on accelerating in the final five overs. This principle holds true not only when setting big totals but also when chasing them. In the pursuit of T20 World Cup glory, India can’t afford any weak links in their lineup.
However, if they opt for Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli—players known for their anchoring roles in T20s—as their top three, they might lack the explosive firepower and the presence of a left-hander at the top. Yashasvi Jaiswal, besides capitalizing on fielding restrictions, has demonstrated an ability to manipulate the field and find gaps once the powerplay is over.
In the recent T20I against South Africa, despite early dismissals of Gill and Tilak Varma, Jaiswal propelled India to 62/2 by the end of the powerplay. In the first T20Is against Australia post the ODI World Cup, chasing 209, Jaiswal’s quickfire 8-ball 21 at the top set the stage for India’s victory, even though Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, and Rinku Singh played crucial roles later in the innings.
In the second match of the same series, batting first, Jaiswal contributed significantly with a fifty, scoring 53 runs in 25 balls, as India reached 77 for 1 within the powerplay.
Reflecting on India’s tour of the West Indies in July, during only his second match, Jaiswal played a memorable innings, smashing an unbeaten 84 off 51 balls to help India chase down the target of 179 runs in just 17 overs.
In the IPL 2023 season, Jaiswal’s remarkable form continued as he scored 625 runs in 14 innings. This made him the highest-scoring uncapped Indian player in an IPL season, surpassing Ishan Kishan’s record of 516 runs in 2020. Jaiswal also holds the record for the most runs by an uncapped batsman overall, outdoing Shaun Marsh’s 616 runs in the inaugural edition. Notably, Jaiswal’s performances included one century and five fifties, with one fifty achieved in just 13 balls—the fastest in IPL history.
While Jaiswal’s sample size may be smaller compared to stalwarts like Rohit and Kohli, he undeniably brings the impactful presence that the Indian cricket team has been missing at the top order since the retirement of Virender Sehwag.