Ahead of their T20 World Cup 2021 campaign, India got into their groove in style, notching up back-to-back victories in the official warm-up matches against England and Australia, and those games taught us plenty about their T20 World Cup plans and hopes.

Kohli to be at three, openers all but confirmed

Quelling all doubts (if any) around the look of India’s top three, Virat Kohli, ahead of the first warm-up game, revealed that he will not be opening the batting in the tournament. The in-form KL Rahul will partner Rohit Sharma, a ‘no-brainer’ according to the captain, leaving Kohli at the No.3 spot.

India tried out different opening combinations in the two games, but both first-choice openers were among the runs: in the first game, KL Rahul struck a fluent 51, following it up with 39 in the second. Rohit brushed off a sluggish start in the second game to end with a 40-ball 61. Good signs ahead of the all-important ‘opener’ against Pakistan.

Ishan Kishan needs to be fitted in, somewhere

The opening combination might be finalised, but it was impossible to ignore Ishan Kishan’s freewheeling brilliance against the new ball in the England clash. Fearless and skilled, he crunched the ball around in typically belligerent fashion, ending with an unbeaten 46-ball 70. In Mumbai Indians’ final IPL game earlier this month, he smoked a 32-ball 84 – one of the IPL’s all-time great knocks – again, at the top of the order.

With Kishan having roared back into form the way he has, how do you keep him out? Dropping him down to the middle order won’t be easy with Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja forming a formidable trio, but Kishan will be the next one in line if one of Pandya or Suryakumar Yadav struggles to get going in the first two games.

R Ashwin gives Varun CV good competition for the powerplay role

India’s new mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy has proved to be an exceptionally good bowler in the powerplays, tying batters down as well as chipping away with early wickets. However, he might get tough competition from R Ashwin for the same role, if the Australia warm-up game was anything to go by. Ashwin opened the bowling alongside Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the second game, and was right on the money, sending back David Warner and Mitchell Marsh off consecutive deliveries (good signs if India are looking for experience with the new ball against Pakistan). Chakravarthy, meanwhile, didn’t feature in the England clash and was only brought on in the final five against Australia. Maybe it’s a ploy to keep the three-T20I old Chakravarthy fresh and under the wraps. Or maybe it indicates India’s preferred pecking order.

Bhuvneshwar has the backing, but can he be consistent?

During the captains’ call last week, Virat Kohli wholeheartedly backed Bhuvneshwar to deliver for India, calling his experience and accuracy “priceless” to the team. The numbers haven’t been pleasing though: in IPL 2021, he managed just six wickets in 11 games, with his economy nearing eight runs per over.

He played both warm-up games, conceding more than a few against England at the death (he gave away 54 in four overs). He came back strongly against Australia, finishing with neat figures of 1-27 from his quota, but questions still remain over his overall consistency. With Jasprit Bumrah a shoo-in, and Mohammed Shami in good nick, Bhuvneshwar is likely to retain the third seamer’s spot, but Shardul Thakur will be snapping at his heels if there are more days like the one against England.

Who is India’s sixth bowling option?

India are likely to go with the combination of five specialist bowlers (and possibly three seamers), but the lack of options beyond those could become a cause of concern later in the tournament. Much has been spoken about all-rounder Hardik Pandya’s role – he didn’t bowl in either of the warm-ups, and hasn’t rolled his arm over once in the last two seasons of the IPL. If he’s in as just a pure batter, India’s overall balance takes a hit, but adding one more specialist bowler would mean that they’re short on the batting front. Interestingly, Virat Kohli bowled a couple of overs against Australia, but even he would admit that he’s far from being a proper sixth bowling option.

T20 World Cup India squad: Full team list

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