India's squad for the Asia Cup was announced on Monday by chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and captain Rohit Sharma in a press conference in New Delhi. The pair fielded questions from the media, expanding on a number of topics that had been doing the rounds for the past few days while India played in the West Indies and Ireland.
Among the queries were the fact that India have not yet found a steady option to fill in as No.4 in their batting order. However, captain Rohit Sharma said that he isn't too worried about specific numbers and instead expects flexibility from his players. When a journalist later asked if this means that the players haven't been told to execute a specific role and if this creates confusion in the team, Rohit clarified that demanding flexibility doesn't meant that the team will suddenly send out a lower order batter to open the innings.
“I'll explain it properly because it is important to understand it. When I said that flexibility is important, it doesn't mean that you send an opener out at No.7, or make Hardik Pandya open the innings. Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma have only opened for the past 7-8 years. Virat Kohli has only played at No.3. The new boys that come at No.4 and No.5, they have to remain open about whether they bat up or down,” he said. Rohit then pointed out that even below the top three, the senior players have mostly stuck to the same position.
{{/usCountry}}“I'll explain it properly because it is important to understand it. When I said that flexibility is important, it doesn't mean that you send an opener out at No.7, or make Hardik Pandya open the innings. Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma have only opened for the past 7-8 years. Virat Kohli has only played at No.3. The new boys that come at No.4 and No.5, they have to remain open about whether they bat up or down,” he said. Rohit then pointed out that even below the top three, the senior players have mostly stuck to the same position.
{{/usCountry}}“Even in the last four or five years the opener bats where he is supposed to bat. No.3 plays only there, KL Rahul comes at No.5, he will only play there. Hardik plays No.6, Jadeja No.7. So if numbers four and five go up or down, there is no problem in that. That much flexibility is important,” he said.
'Flexibility doesn't mean chaos'
Rohit pointed out that senior players like him, Kohli and Rahul have needed to play in a number of different positions in their early days in international cricket. Rohit himself had played in a variety of positions mostly in the middle and lower middle order, before establishing himself as among the greatest limited overs openers of all time.
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“When we first came into the team our positions (also used to change). You take my positions over the years. We all have had to do that when we were young. That is the kind of flexibility I am talking about. Ye nahi ki ye opener hai isko 8 number pe bhej do aur 8 number wale ko upar kara do. Ye paagalpanti nai karte hum. (It doesn't mean that you send an opener to bat at No.8 and a No.8 is promoted to the top of the order. We don't do these kinds of nonsensical things),” he said.
Rohit also said that players maybe sent out regardless of the batting position based on the tactics that the opposition team is employing. He took the example of when Axar Patel was sent out early in the tour of West Indies.
“I had given Axar's example. He was a leftie and spinners bowl in the middle overs. We want the kind of flexibility in which we can target the spinners as well. We should be able to do that. This is not school team where the numbers are going to be set in stone. You need some kind of flexibility to deal with the opposition's tactics. So we have to see who plays a fast bowler or a spinner better and send them out accordingly. Ye nahi ki tabai machao (Doesn't mean we will wreak havoc),” he said, provoking laughter from everyone in the room.ALSO E