How to accommodate Jaiswal at the top

WHEN INDIA BROUGHT Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli back into the fold for the Afghanistan series, there was this inevitable question as to where they would bat.

- PRATYUSH RAJ

With Kohli unavailable for Thursday's T20I because of personal reasons, India are set to open with Rohit and Yashasvi Jaiswal.

But going forward, India head coach hasn't ruled out the possibility of Rohit and Kohli partnering at the top, a move that totally deviates from the blueprint they have followed for the past 14 months. It also puts a question mark over the place of Yashasvi Jaiswal in the XI, who has by far been their best opening batsman in T20s.

Speaking ahead of the first T201 against Afghanistan in Mohali, Dravid revealed where India stood in terms of the openers, especially when Kohli joins the team in Indore. "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 kinds of bowling," said Dravid.

If India do put this plan to work, they will once again be without enough ammunition at the top. Sans an X-factor batsman in the top three, the batting powerplay was one of the problematic areas for India in successive T20 World Cups. It is with this aspect in mind that India, post the last T20 World Cup debacle in Australia, adopted a more aggressive, bolder approach by employing Jaiswal at the top.

It is a move that has not just worked but has also put less pressure on the middleorder. Now, if India partner Rohit and Kohli at the top, they may have to compromise on this aspect. In the coming days, India have a huge decision to make as to who among