1st T20: Rohit-led formidable India eye ODI encore against hapless Windies
With less than three months left for the T20 World Cup, skipper Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid will get around 16 games to firm up their core team
TAROUBA (Port of Spain): A full-strength Indian team in all its might will be looking to overwhelm West Indies in its bid to record a second successive clean sweep in the three-match T20I series starting Friday.
With less than three months left for the T20 World Cup, skipper Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid will get around 16 games (5 vs WI, 5 in Asia Cup (if India play final), 3 vs Australia, 3 vs South Africa) to firm up their core team that will then play unchanged going into mega event.
The mere thought of a first eleven comprising Rohit, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik as the five specialists batters in the top six can have an intimidating as well as debilitating effect on the opposition.
And that too at a time when a player of Virat Kohli's stature has been failing miserably in shortest format and doubts are being cast about his place in the playing XI.
The preceding England series has shown that India's white ball players have that imposing alpha-male like presence out there in the middle even if their best player Kohli is on the wane.
Can Deepak Hooda challenge Kohli's position?
Thus the five-match series against West Indies, technically being played in three different countries (Trinidad & Tobago, St Kitts & Nevis and USA) will also give us a clear picture whether Kohli's days of invincibility are over or not.
Deepak Hooda, whatever little amount of T20Is that he has played, has shown that belongs to this level. He has a hundred opening the innings against Ireland and in the only T20 that he played against England, he looked the part before being forced to relinquish his place to Kohli.
With his tight off-breaks adding to his skill-set, at least three to four good matches in this series will certainly increase Rohit's headache and also put Kohli under pressure when he returns for Asia Cup in the UAE.
Number three will be the only position that will be a bone of contention as far as India's batting order is concerned going into the T20 World Cup.
The other factor will be regular vice-captain KL Rahul's return to the squad and where does one fit this prolific IPL performer although his way of constructing a T20 innings could be debated.
Rohit-Pant pair could be way forward in T20I
In terms of sheer numbers, the Pant-Rohit opening pair didn't set the stage on fire against England but statistics often do not provide the bigger picture.
The left-right combination has shown intent to dominate and with their kind of range could prove to be a nightmare for any opposition on a given day. On tacky West Indies tracks where spinners could operate in Powerplay, the duo could be even doubly dangerous and as far as Australian wickets are concerned, their ability to effortlessly play horizontal bat shots would keep them in a good stead.
Will Ashwin get a look-in for T20 World Cup?
With Jadeja's fitness being an issue and also his growing focus on being a batting allrounder, Ravichandran Ashwin is still India's best slow bowler in Powerplay overs with his variations that include the lethal carrom ball.
There is Kuldeep Yadav also in the squad and Ravi Bishnoi, who has been more of a glorified traveller since Chahal found his mojo. Yuzvendra Chahal's place is non-negotiable in first XI and Washington Sundar will be back in the setup any day which effectively makes it last chance for Ashwin to stake his claim for a place in playing XI.
CHENNAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared open the FIDE 44th Chess Olympiad here on Thursday, and encouraging the players, said that in sports there are no losers but winners and future winners.
The Chess Olympiad is hosted by India at a special time in its history, which marks 75 years of freedom from colonial rule, he said.
In his address during the inaugural at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Modi said it is an honour to have international chess players at a such a special time. "In sports there are no losers, there are winners and there are future winners," he said.
The Prime Minister, as in the events held in Tamil Nadu in the past began his speech by uttering the Tamil word for greetings, 'Vanakkam.' He said that in a short period of time, the organisers have made outstanding arrangements. The
Tamil Nadu government along with the Centre's full support is hosting the event.
Assuring the best hospitality to players from far and wide, Modi quoted the 'Athithi Devo Bhava' slogan which means 'our guests are like God.' Also, the Prime Minister cited Tamil saint poet Tiruvalluvar's couplet on the significance of hospitality.
Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi, Chief Minister M K Stalin, Union Ministers Anurag Thakur and L Murugan among others were present during the glittering opening ceremony.
The sporting event will be held in the nearby Mamallapuram, about 50 km from here.
The Olympiad is being held in India for the first time ever, after being moved out of Russia following its invasion of Ukraine and has attracted a record number of entries in the Open (188) and women's (162) sections.