DUBAI: On Tuesday night, as the Indian players got off the team bus to participate in an optional practise session at the ICC Academy, the photographers focused their cameras on Virat Kohli. It turned out that Kohli skipped a second practice session, this time on either side of the Pakistan match last Sunday.
As everyone searched the area for Kohli, it was discovered that Rohit Sharma, the normal captain, was also absent. Rahul Dravid, the coach, was also. The top three Indian players, Rohit, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli, have appeared rusty and far from their best, but Wednesday's game against Hong Kong at the Dubai International stadium would be the perfect chance for them to get going.
India would go forward using a more aggressive batting strategy in T20s, according to Dravid and Rohit, who took over in November. Ten months later, the top order is still the same, and they continue to struggle against top-notch attackers to play their carefree brand of cricket.
On Tuesday, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, and Rahul all scored runs. When Jadeja had finished bowling sloppily for a few minutes, he in particular began striking the ball immediately.
It is clear that Jadeja the bowler has lost prominence in white-ball cricket, especially in T20Is, while Jadeja the batsman has become more important. Jadeja has always thought of himself as an impact player, but the team management has recently given him the opportunity to bat in the top order as he did against Pakistan.
"I don't really plan. In T20s, sometimes you don't need to think too much. You just go in and just play in any situation. I don't really think that I am primarily a bowler in Tests and bat late or vice versa in white-ball cricket. I only know that I need to score runs and provide breakthroughs with the ball," Jadeja said.
"Pressure is always there as long as you play for India. But you need to take responsibility while batting. Sometimes you come out to bat in a tricky situation. From there, you have to win the match. It feels nice when you perform under more pressure. You carry that confidence," he said.
In a high-pressure game on Sunday, the team management banked on Jadeja to make up for the lack of left-handers in the middle order.
"I was the only left-hander in the top seven, that's why I was promoted. We had seen their (Pakistan) playing XI, they had a left-arm spinner and leg spinner. I was aware that I could face this situation. I prepared myself mentally accordingly," he said.
The Indian team management is still figuring out the right combination in the run-up to the T20 World Cup. Jadeja said: "Any team which has so many batting options, like we do, will play freely. We have batters who can play any kind of game in any position."
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