India’s inaugural comprehensive training session on Friday in Alur has provided insight into their strategies for the upcoming tournament opener against Pakistan next month.
The Indian cricket team, set to depart for Sri Lanka for the Asia Cup competition on August 30, gathered at the Karnataka State Cricket Association’s (KSCA) Three Ovals facility in Alur on Thursday. They convened for a six-day training camp in preparation for the continental event, which will be followed by the ODI World Cup on home soil. A central question surrounding these two significant tournaments revolves around India’s batting order. As players like KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer return to the squad after lengthy injury hiatuses and considering the growing suggestions for Virat Kohli to assume the No. 4 position, the batting lineup for the Asia Cup has become a major area of uncertainty. However, India’s initial substantive training session in Alur on Friday has shed light on their strategies for the tournament opener against Pakistan.
An eye-catching aspect of India’s Asia Cup squad announcement has been the inclusion of Rahul and Iyer. Rahul had been sidelined since May due to a hamstring injury sustained during the 2023 IPL, necessitating subsequent surgery. Iyer, on the other hand, had been out of action since March this year due to a lower back injury that required surgical intervention.
Having demonstrated their fitness through practice matches at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, where they had been recuperating, the duo has been selected for the Asia Cup. However, questions linger about India’s batting order as they prepare for the tournament.
According to a report from Cricbuzz, India engaged in center-wicket practice, sending batsmen out in pairs. Following Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, the pairs of Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer took their turn, offering hints about India’s preferred top-order combination. This strongly suggests that Kohli will bat at No. 3 for India, addressing the growing calls for him to move down the batting order and resolve India’s long-standing issue with the No. 4 spot.
Since the 2019 ODI World Cup, Kohli has batted at No. 4 only once, in a match against Australia at Wankhede in 2020 when he was the captain. Furthermore, in the 29 instances where Kohli and Iyer have featured in the same lineup since 2018, Kohli has consistently batted at No. 3, while Iyer has established himself as a stable No. 4 batter since the start of 2020, batting at No. 3 once and at No. 5 thrice.
If this indeed forms the top four for India, KL Rahul, who dominated the practice session on Friday, partnered with Suryakumar Yadav as the following pair. Rahul has been dealing with a minor niggle before his selection, as disclosed by chief selector Ajit Agarkar. Consequently, he abstained from running between the wickets but faced bowlers such as Shardul Thakur and Axar Patel without any apparent discomfort. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma and Agarkar observed from the sidelines.
As Rahul dispatched boundaries against the fast bowlers and displayed adept footwork against spinners, Ishan Kishan engaged in wicketkeeping drills alongside fielding coach T Dilip.
Does this hint at India’s batting strategy? It appears the top order is taking shape, with Rohit and Gill as openers and Kohli and Iyer occupying the subsequent positions. The involvement of Rahul is still uncertain, considering Agarkar’s revelation earlier in the week that he might miss the initial two matches of the Asia Cup.
This suggests that if Rahul is unavailable, Ishan Kishan could step in as a wicket-keeping batter. The ensuing question pertains to whether Ishan Kishan would occupy the No. 5 spot or replace Gill as an opener, subsequently shifting the batting order, placing Gill at No. 3, Kohli at 4, and Iyer at 5. In the interim, Suryakumar Yadav, who struggled to make an impact in the ODI format, is likely to serve as a backup for Iyer.
