IND vs IRE: Sanjay Bangar makes surprising prediction over Yashasvi Jaiswal's absence from IND vs BAN warm-up match

Former Indian batting coach Sanjay Bangar has made a bold claim on the Indian cricket team's batting lineup for their opening match in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024 against Ireland on Wednesday, June 5, at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.

The cricket expert pointed out that Yashasvi Jaiswal’s absence in India's warm-up game against Bangladesh dropped a major hint about their top-order strategy against Ireland.

Bangar predicted that Virat Kohli is likely to open the innings for Team India along with the skipper Rohit Sharma in their T20 World Cup 2024 opener, given their quality and adaptability in various situations.

Sanjay Bangar predicts Virat Kohli to open for India in the T20 World Cup 2024 opener against Ireland

The former Indian cricketer further opined that if Jaiswal had been part of India’s top-order plans, he would have opened alongside Rohit Sharma in the T20 World Cup 2024 warm-up match.

Since he was not part of the playing XI, Bangar claimed that Kohli is almost likely to play as the opener for the Men in Blue in their upcoming fixture against Ireland in New York.

Bangar emphasized the versatility of Kohli and Sharma, saying that their ability to handle left-arm spinners shouldn't be underestimated, as they have a proven track record of scoring runs against various bowling attacks.

He also highlighted the conditions in New York during the warm-up match against Bangladesh that could influence India’s decision-making process for the Ireland clash.

Yashasvi Jaiswal will probably not play the first match: Sanjay Bangar

Sanjay Bangar said on Star Sports: “I feel the team has decided to go in the direction that Yashasvi Jaiswal will probably not play the first match. If Yashasvi Jaiswal was in their plans, they would have played him in this match. Since they have not played him, it's obvious Virat Kohli will open. They are quality players.

So, it's not necessary that they can't score runs against left-arm spinners. They have scored a lot of runs. The way the surface has played also tells you how the team would think. There is no doubt that Virat's numbers will be good at whichever position you play him.”

Meanwhile, Sanjay Manjrekar also backed the idea of playing Kohli as an opener in the T20 World Cup 2024, as he feels Team India couldn’t fully utilize him if he played at No. 3, and there will be a lot of pressure on him at No. 3.

Manjrekar was also puzzled about Rishabh Pant’s batting position after he came in at No. 3 in the warm-up match against Bangladesh at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.