Rahul Dravid addresses possibility of Rohit-Kohli opening pair in T20Is vs Afghanistan, confirms top-2 for opening match

On Wednesday, India head coach Rahul Dravid confirmed that Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal will be the opening pair in the first T20I of the series against Afghanistan in Mohali. Rohit Sharma, making a comeback to the format after nearly 14 months, will lead the side, but his fellow comeback-man, Virat Kohli, remains unavailable for the opening T20I due to “personal reasons.”

Rohit’s last appearance in a T20I was in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final against England in Adelaide. Meanwhile, Jaiswal has been holding the opening position in the shortest format since the away series against the West Indies in August last year. In November, Jaiswal had opened alongside Ruturaj Gaikwad in the five-T20I series against Australia, but the latter was ruled out of the Afghanistan series with an injury.

Talking to the media ahead of the first T20I in Mohali, Dravid emphasised the importance of a left-right combination in the opening order as he confirmed Rohit and Jaiswal for the top-2 slots.

“As of now, we will be opening with Rohit and Jaiswal. When you have a squad that offers flexibility, we can take a call that is in the best interest of the team,” Dravid said on the eve of the match.

“We are certainly happy with what Jaiswal has done for us as an opener. It also gives us the left-right combination at the top,” added Dravid.

With Kohli’s absence, the top-order becomes relatively straightforward for the Indian team as Shubman Gill will take over the no.3 role. However, things will get complicated once Kohli returns. Is opening with the superstar batting duo of Rohit and Kohli an option for the side? Dravid doesn’t categorically deny the possibility.

“Nothing is closed (Kohli opening with Rohit). We have no doubt that the kind of ability and skill sets players like Rohit and Kohli possess, they will be able to find answers against different kind of bowling,” said Dravid.

The former Indian captain said the selection process will be dominated by a player’s capability to negate all circumstances and will not merely rely on the desire to field a left-right combination.

“We still have left-handers in the line-up. But it is not only about left-handers but it is their ability to play through a period and to be able to tackle different kinds of spin that there is.

“Players like Rinku, Jaiswal and Tilak have come in as well, which adds a nice string to the bow. But in the end, we make selection on the basis of performance, not just on the left-hand or right-hand batsman,” he insisted.