Who will open alongside Rohit Sharma?

Rohit Sharma has been confirmed as captain for the campaign and will open the innings but picking an opener alongside him will be more complex, with at least six options available. Yashasvi Jaiswal was backed to open along with Rohit during the T20Is against Afghanistan and reclaimed his spot after he missed the first game due to injury. Jaiswal has a T20I strike rate of 161.93 and was sensational in the last IPL as well. He is also a left-hander, possibly making him India’s only left-hander in the top five if he plays. He is, however, struggling for runs in this year’s IPL, and hasn’t crossed 25 once in his first four games.

Ishan Kishan is not a big striker though his presence would remove the wicketkeeper’s dilemma the side find themselves in. Ruturaj Gaikwad and KL Rahul also struggle with their strike rate and are unlikely to make it. Shubman Gill has shown he can be an aggressor on his day but has his troubles against the quicks in the powerplay, striking at 133.3 in T20Is against them.

There is also the case of Virat Kohli, whose best spot seems to be at the top of the order, where he has batted in the IPL since last year. Kohli’s struggles against spin in the middle overs are well-known and RCB have pushed him to the top where he can take on the pacers and get his eye in before the slowdown against the slower bowlers. But opening with Rohit and Kohli will then allow the opposition to start with spin, with the former also not at his fluent best against them.

Is Hardik still the all-rounder India needs?

Hardik has batted at No.5 or below 66 times in 71 T20I innings, usually essaying the role of a finisher. However, his hitting skills have been on the wane in recent years, striking at 135.7 in T20Is since the start of 2022, which falls to 134 in the IPL. India’s top order, with Rohit and Kohli, is already conservative and the presence of Hardik in the batting line-up will fill the team with several anchors, which is undesired in the fast-paced format.

Hardik will still make the squad because of the flexibility he offers and for providing India with an additional bowling back-up. In a team where most batters do not bowl, Hardik’s presence is crucial as he balances out the side, but his bowling returns have also taken a beating recently. Since the 2022 IPL, he has 12 wickets in 23 innings and has conceded runs at 8.42 an over. He has looked off-colour with the ball in the ongoing IPL as well, and has not bowled in the last two games for Mumbai Indians. His strike rate against pace, which he will face majorly if he plays as a finisher, has dwindled over the years too – it was 193.71 in the 2019 IPL but only 135.17 last year.

Hardik has played crucial knocks for India in the past, including one in the semi-final against England of the last T20 World Cup, but he has been far too inconsistent lately. Whether India persist with him because of his all-round abilities or prefer going in with an in-form specialist like Rinku Singh or someone like Shivam Dube, who has not bowled in the IPL since 2022, remains to be seen.

The falling stocks of the spin all-rounders

Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel are the two spin all-rounders in contention to make the squad, but both have their issues. Jadeja’s bowling is still exceptional but his batting is a cause of worry, especially for someone who will likely bat at No.7. Jadeja’s T20I strike rate is 124.6 – he has also only scored more than 15 at a strike rate of 150 just once in 36 innings for India. Having him and Hardik at No.6 and 7 drastically reduces India’s power-hitting at the death.

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Axar, on the other hand, has improved his batting but his bowling has failed to inspire recently. Since the last IPL, Axar has taken only 15 wickets in 18 games at an average of 30.5 with an economy rate of 7.25. India have also used him against teams with more left-handers and he will not start in every game.

Who will be the quicks?

Jasprit Bumrah is a must but India will have their task cut out to pick the other pacers, most of whom have not been consistent enough. Mohammed Siraj, expected to be the second seamer has struggled with his economy rate of late and has not impressed in the ongoing IPL either. Arshdeep Singh, another likely pick, is not as threatening in the death overs as he was 18 months ago. Avesh Khan has impressed in the 2024 IPL in patches but did not impress during his India stint. Mukesh Kumar concedes 9.39 an over in T20Is and has only taken two wickets in the IPL. Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Khaleel Ahmed are no longer in contention, leaving the selectors in a dilemma over the fourth seamer. The 155 kph beast Mayank Yadav can be picked as a dark horse too, but his recent injury after just three IPL games suggests he might need to work on his fitness more before he is an India contender.

A problem of plenty with regards to the wicketkeeper

India currently have six wicketkeeping options to choose from but there are no clear answers about the frontrunner. Rahul and Kishan struggle are not the quickest scorers and India would ideally prefer keepers who bat down the order. Rishabh Pant’s name has been taken but he is yet to come back into his free-flowing self following his comeback from his serious car crash. Although Pant has scored two fifties in this IPL, he lacked rhythm in patches and he also does not have an inspiring T20I career after 66 games. Sanju Samson, with an average of 59.3 and a strike rate of 150.8 is at his best at No.3, a spot not up for grabs.

Jitesh Sharma has not fired in this IPL and may have fallen in the pecking order while Dhruv Jurel has fared better in his limited chances but is yet to make his T20I debut.