IND vs IRE: Rohit Sharma to bat in the middle order? Matthew Hayden and Irfan Pathan make shocking revelations

Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden said that Indian skipper Rohit Sharma should not open the batting in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the USA. However, former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan disagreed with Matthew Hayden's suggestion on Rohit Sharma's batting position.

Rohit Sharma will lead the Indian national cricket team in the ICC tournament. Rohit and Yashasvi Jaiswal are the only two designated openers in India's 15-member squad for the prestigious tournament. Virat Kohli opened for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season.

Team India head coach Rahul Dravid stated that they have multiple options for the opening combination in the T20 World Cup, including Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Virat Kohli. Dravid emphasized that they have quality choices and added that they would make decisions based on the conditions for each game.

Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal formed the opening pair for India in their recent bilateral T20I series against Afghanistan earlier this year. Virat Kohli consistently performed for the Men in Blue at No. 3. It remains to be seen whether the team management will break the opening partnership between Rohit and Jaiswal.

Rohit Sharma Is A Versatile Player - Matthew Hayden

Matthew Hayden, speaking to ESPNCricinfo, stated that Rohit Sharma's versatility makes him well-suited for the middle order. Hayden said that Rohit can effectively lead the batting group from the middle order, given his successful record at No. 4.

“Rohit is a versatile player and does not shy away from batting away in that middle order. He has a successful record in T20I cricket batting at No. 4 and he can lead the batting group from the early middle order,” Hayden said.

Matthew Hayden has a radical idea : Rohit Sharma to bat in the middle order!

But Irfan Pathan does not necessarily agree#T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/87iOGhjz0J

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) June 4, 2024

Rohit Sharma has primarily been an opener in T20Is. The right-handed batter played at the No. 4 position in eight innings. He scored 188 runs at a strike rate of 122.87 with two half-centuries. He played at the No. 4 position against the West Indies in 2022 when Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan opened the batting.

He Can Actually Have That Power Game - Irfan Pathan

During the same conversation, Irfan Pathan acknowledged Matthew Hayden's comment on Rohit Sharma's versatility. However, the cricketer-turned-commentator disagreed with the notion of Rohit batting at No. 4 in the T20 World Cup.

"No that he can't do it. Matthew Hayden rightly said that he's very versatile. He can actually have that power game straight against the spinner as well. But I would think, No," Pathan said.

The Indian cricket team will begin their World Cup campaign with a match against Ireland at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on Wednesday, June 5. Notably, Rohit Sharma and Sanju Samson opened the batting in the warmup match against the Bangladesh team at the same venue in New York.

Also read: USA vs PAK: Imad Wasim ruled out of T20 World Cup 2024 opener against United States of America due to side strain