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Sunil Gavaskar feels India will not stick to the opening pair from the previous match and expects Rohit Sharma to return as an opener along with KL Rahul. Rohit Sharma, who has four T20I centuries, while opening for India, was made to bat at No. 3 against New Zealand with Ishan Kishan, playing his first World Cup match in any format opening the innings with KL Rahul.

Following two straight defeats to Pakistan and New Zealand, India’s campaign at the T20 World Cup is in the doldrums. For Virat Kohli’s team, Tuesday will mark a do-or-die situation as India take on Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi. The equation is simple – If India loses this, it is curtains for them, and no outcome of any other games can change their fate. If India wins, they still hang on, albeit by a thread.

Sunil Gavaskar: Rohit Sharma Will Definitely Open Against Afghanistan

So as India heads into a crucial must-win encounter against Afghanistan, the Playing XI will once again be the cynosure of all eyes. Questions persist whether Suryakumar Yadav, who missed the previous game due to back spasms but underwent extensive fitness drills on the eve of the Afghanistan match, will return to the squad. Ishan Kishan then will miss out on another opportunity.

KL Rahul And Rohit Sharma (Image Credit: Twitter)

Weighing in on the combination, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar feels the team will not stick to the opening pair from the previous match and expects Rohit Sharma to return as an opener along with KL Rahul. For the crunch Afghanistan tie, Sunil Gavaskar reckons things will change, and India will go ahead with their trusted pair.

“I think in this game, Rohit will open with Rahul and Virat will come in at No. 3. At No. 4 or 5 Ishan Kishan should come. We don’t even know if Suryakumar Yadav is fit. He was not dropped but he had some issues in the back which is why Ishan Kishan played in his place. But if he is fit, Suryakumar is likely to return,” Gavaskar said.

Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli all perished cheaply against New Zealand as India lost their first four wickets with only 48 on the board within 10 overs. India ended up posting 110 for 7 in stipulated 20 overs, in which they didn’t effectively score runs in nine of those overs (54 dot balls).

Sunil Gavaskar: Ishan Kishan If Picked Will Bat In The Middle Order

As for Ishan Kishan, if he plays, Sunil Gavaskar feels the ideal position for him will be in the middle-order, especially if he comes to bat at the fag end of the innings. Being the destructive player that Ishan Kishan is, Sunil Gavaskar is confident that the 23-year-old can be a handy option for India with overs running out.

The 23-year-old Ishan Kishan scored 84 off 32 balls and 50 not out off 25 balls at the top of the order in the final two games for Mumbai Indians. Against England in their first warm-up game, chasing a target of 189, India reached 192 for three in 19 overs. Ishan Kishan retired after playing a knock of 70 runs off 46 balls.

“I think Ishan should bat at either No. 4 or 5. It will be good for him because when he comes to bat, I am guessing around 4-5 overs will be left and he can swing his bat as much as he wants. At the start, there is some problem because he does not know the manner in which to bat, how many runs are needed. That is the only change I see happening. Rohit returns to his opening position and Ishan, if he plays, will bat at either No. 4 or 5,” explained Gavaskar.

The Indian batsmen Ishan Kishan (4 off 8 balls), Rohit Sharma (14 off 14 balls), KL Rahul (18 off 16), Virat Kohli (9 off 17), Rishabh Pant (12 off 19) failed when it mattered most against New Zealand, losing the second successive match after the one against Pakistan where Rohit Sharma (0) and KL Rahul (3) failed as openers.