Aim to identify batsmen for slot 4 & 6, says Rohit
Dubai, Sept. 17: India captain Rohit Sharma on Monday admitted that the team’s middle- order is still fluid and their objective will be to identify players for the number four and six slot during the Asia Cup.
India will start their Asia Cup campaign against minnows Hong Kong on Tuesday followed by the big game against Pakistan. However, the problem for India during the past one year is the lack of a settled middle- order, which was evident during the recent ODI series defeat in England. Rohit made it clear that the likes of Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Ambati Rayudu are fighting for the key middleorder slots.
“Lot of spots are up for grabs like Nos 3, 4 and 6. All these guys ( Kedar, Manish, Rayudu) are eyeing those slots. We want to give chances to as many guys for this particular series. In this tournament, we need to seal the batting slot Nos 4 and 6,” Rohit said on the eve of the lung opener against Hong Kong.
Rohit’s answer was an indication that Mahendra Singh Dhoni will bat at number five. Ambati Rayudu is back in the Indian team having cleared the YoYo test and he also performed well in the Quadrangular series for India A.
Kedar Jadhav is back having recovered from a hamstring surgery. “They are both important members of this team. Rayudu was originally part of England series and similarly Kedar before his injury. It was unfortunate that they couldn’t play for some time and I am very happy that both are back in the team. I expect them to win matches for India,” said Rohit.
Rohit didn’t reveal whether he was open to rotating bowlers in this searing Dubai heat but did say that performers should be given a longer run. “I haven’t thought about it right now. We want to see how each individual react to different situations. At the same time, we want to give chance to as many guys as possible but also give more opportunities to those who are consistent. We would see how individuals respond to con di- tions and take decisions accordingly,” said Rohit.
Mohammed Aamir and Usman Khan in Asia Cup and Mitchell Starc in Australia are some of the left- armers that India will be encountering in their next few assignments and that’s why left- arm throwdown specialist Nuwan Seneviratne from Sri Lanka has been roped in. The skipper seemed impressed having faced him in the nets.
Lot of spots are up for grabs like Nos 3, 4 and 6. All these guys ( Kedar, Manish, Rayudu) are eyeing those slots. — ROHIT SHARMA