With two years to for the ICC ODI World Cup, India need to give their players certain roles and get into the groove to understand what they need to do, captain of the Indian cricket team Virat Kohli said on Saturday. India and Sri Lanka play the first of their five one-day internationals on Sunday and Kohli believed that India doesn’t pick and choose according to the opposition they are playing.
“For us, it is about the time frame. It is not about which opposition we are playing. You can’t pick and choose. I have never believed in that and we as a team don’t believe in that,” Kohli said when asked about whether he will use players depending on the opposition.
“Two years to go for the World Cup and now is the time to give players certain roles to get into the groove and understand what we need to do,” said Kohli.
Kohli also confirmed that Test opening batsman KL Rahul will be part of the ODI playing XI and will bat at number four against Sri Lanka. This leaves Manish Pandey and Kedar Jadhav fighting for the remaining spot in the middle order.
“KL will definitely be playing in the middle-order. We are not going to be predictable or have a set pattern anymore in terms of what we are going to do in ODI or T20 cricket. Anyone could go anywhere. That’s what we are looking to do,” said the skipper.
“Someone like Manish, he has done well and has grabbed his opportunities. He has got a hundred in Australia as well, and we know about his talent and what he brings onto the field as well. He is a super fit guy and has a bright future ahead of him. So he will certainly be backed.”
“All three guys (including Kedar Jadhav) will have to compete for two spots in the middle-order. There are no guarantees I would say. As long as there is healthy competition, everyone will keep pushing each other and that is healthy for Indian cricket,” the skipper opined.
Not only Pandey but the skipper hinted that even Ajinkya Rahane has to wait as Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma will be opening while Rahane is the third opener in the side. Rahane had good series in West Indies but Kohli says Dhawan is an impact player.
“Shikhar Dhawan is an impact player. Shikhar and Rohit, we know what they have done (achieved) in the past together. We understand their potential also Jinks (Rahane’s nickname) understands that at this stage, he is the third opener in the team,” said Kohli.