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In the T20 World Cup 2024 clash against Ireland, Rohit Sharma did not include Yashasvi Jaiswal in the side and opened the innings with Virat Kohli. In addition, Rishabh Pant walked out to bat at no.3 like he did in the warm-up game against Bangladesh. Ahead of the clash against Pakistan at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York, Rohit revealed that he made up his mind about Pant batting at no.3 during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
"I watched Pant play the first few matches in the IPL and made up my mind. It was about having the right batting position. His counter-attacking skill will be helpful, given we cannot play Yashasvi. He has got an all-round game,” Rohit said in the pre-match press conference on June 8.
No change in opening combination
Rohit also confirmed that Kohli will continue to be his opening partner in the marquee event. However, the rest of the positions are not fixed.
“Besides the openers, none of the other batting position is fixed, unless it us a Super Over. We want to be flexible,” he said.
Rohit wants the batters to be fearless as he is playing with an extended batting lineup. He wants them to take risks but not before assessing the conditions.
"You gotta be innovative and brave. There is a reason why we are playing with eight batters. Yes, conditions do matter and here you got to be mindful," said the 36-year-old.
Rohit not underestimating Pakistan
Rohit does not want to take Babar Azam's Pakistan lightly despite theiur shocking defeat to the USA in super over. He said that Pakistan are capable of turning it around.
"They lost to Zimbabwe last time but still they made it to the final. This is a different format. It matters on that particular day. They will surely look at where they went wrong," he said.
The last time India went up against Pakistan in T20 World Cup was in Melbourne. In a thrilling encounter, Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 82 helped India avenge the 10-wicket defeat faced in the 2021 edition.
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