IND vs IRE: India's Playing 11 announced; no place for Sanju Samson and Yuzvendra Chahal warms the bench

As anticipation builds for India's opening match against Ireland in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024, former Indian batter Wasim Jaffer has offered insights into the potential playing XI for the Men in Blue.

With the IND vs IRE match set to take place at New York’s Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on June 5, Jaffer's bold predictions for Team India have sparked discussions among fans on social media. The former Indian opener took to his social media handles to unveil his playing XI for the Men in Blue for their T20 World Cup 2024 opener against Ireland.

Notably, the Indian cricket team would want to kick off their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign on a winning note, as they have not won an ICC trophy since 2013, and now they are eager to lift the title in the USA and Caribbean. India last won the T20 World Cup in 2007 and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013.

Wasim Jaffer Predicted Playing XI for India's World Cup 2024 opener against Ireland

Well, ahead of the IND vs IRE encounter on Wednesday, Jaffer put all the debate about who will be opening the innings for the Indian cricket team into the box by picking Indian captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as his opening pair.

He said that Yashasvi Jaiswal didn’t take part in Team India’s sole T20 World Cup 2024 warm-up match against Bangladesh, and it was a clear hint that the Men in Blue would drop the young opener for their tournament opener against Ireland.

With Virat and Rohit at the top of the order, the cricket expert entrusted the very crucial No. 3 batting position to the Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, overlooking Sanju Samson, followed by Suryakumar Yadav at No. 4, in his predicted formidable batting lineup for India against the Irish side.

Wasim Jaffer said on his YouTube channel: “I feel India will open with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli against Ireland. Yashasvi Jaiswal wasn't given a chance to bat in the warm-up game. This was an indication that Jaiswal may not play. You may see Rishabh Pant bat at No.3 and then Suryakumar Yadav at No.4.”

Wasim Jaffer picks a spin-heavy bowling attack for India

Speaking about the bowling department, Jaffer proposed a spin-heavy strategy for the Men in Blue, selecting Axar Patel for his batting abilities over Yuzvendra Chahal alongside Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav to lead the spin attack.

However, Jaffer has surprisingly overlooked Mohammed Siraj for India’s opening match in the mega event against Ireland, as he went with the premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah and the young gun Arshdeep Singh as his frontline pacers.

With Bumrah and Arshdeep’s assistance, Jaffer picked the pace bowling all-rounders Hardik Pandya or Shivam Dube in his playing XI for India. In the end, the former Indian batter expected Kohli to maintain his aggressive approach while also providing stability when the team needs it in the showpiece event.

Jaffer signed off by saying, “I don't know whether Virat Kohli will be opening or batting at No.3, but his role will be the same. He will try to play the aggressive brand of cricket which he did in the IPL and will also stabilize the innings when needed.”

Here’s Wasim Jaffer’s predicted Playing XI for India for T20 World Cup 2024 clash against Ireland:

Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh.

Considering what happened in the warm up game, this is the XI I think India will play tonight:

Rohit
Kohli
Pant
SKY
Dube
Hardik
Jadeja
Axar
Kuldeep
Bumrah
Arsh

What do you reckon? #<!---->I<!---->N<!---->D<!---->v<!---->I<!---->R<!---->E #<!---->T<!---->2<!---->0<!---->W<!---->o<!---->r<!---->l<!---->d<!---->C<!---->u<!---->p

— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) J<!---->u<!---->n<!---->e<!----> <!---->5<!---->,<!----> <!---->2<!---->0<!---->2<!---->4