'If you look at batting order, no one bowls in top six and that's the biggest challenge' - Irfan Pathan on India's T20 WC selection

Irfan Pathan, Commentator & Cricket Expert with IPL official TV Broadcaster, said on Star Sports Press Room Show, Ticket to World Cup on the question of who the openers for India should be, “See, as far as I'm concerned, Indian openers should be Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma, purely because of the right-hand and left-hand combination. Don't forget that Yashasvi Jaiswal's international strike rate is 160 and you need that, you need that firepower. If Virat opens up the batting, what happens is that it will allow the combination of 11 to be in a certain way, which you want.

If that happens, you might see Shivam Dube playing, if he's there in the squad. You might see guys like Rinku Singh in the playing 11 as well. But if Virat bats at number three, that might not happen. So that's a big challenge. The other thing, if Yashasvi Jaiswal is playing, what can happen as he's actually been bowling regularly in the nets. So what you can do is you can actually play proper five bowlers and maybe have him as a sixth bowler, as an option to keep it. Otherwise, if you look at the batting order, no one bowls. No one bowls in top six and that's the biggest challenge what we have as Indian cricket. And that's what we need to consider that as well. So for me, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, and then Virat bats at number three.”

Tom Moody, Commentator & Cricket Expert said, ”This is one of the most complex selections that I think any country is going to have going into this World Cup, purely because it's a sport for resources. The resources are endless, not so much on the fast bowling front, but on the spin front and the middle order and the top order. It's unbelievable what's available. And you could argue to the point that you can pick five different teams and they'll be all as good as each other.

The number one point I want to get across is you've got to have a left-right hand combination because you will find yourself in a situation, particularly if the surface does offer a little bit of turn or they're slow, every team will line up with a left-arm spinner to open the bowling. It's an absolute no brainer and it's a proven way to slow things down, if not take an early wicket. So you don't want that, before even the coin toss where you've shown your opposition a potential weakness. So I definitely go with Rohit and Jaiswal at the top of the order. The discussion is, whether Virat is your number three. 

I think given the form that he's shown recently and given his record in internationals and on the big stage is quite phenomenal, you'd have to seriously consider him as your number three. The other point that the four of the games are going to be in New York. We don't know that. We're guessing what the conditions are going to be like. I would rather have an old head, an experienced campaigner to navigate what may or may not be out there in the middle against that sort of youthful, sort of brash approach to take on a situation when the surface and the conditions don't allow you to do that. So I'd rather have that experienced old head to be able to navigate that challenge for me, so I get through into the tournament where I need to be playing in the finals.”

Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Commentator & Cricket Expert spoke on whether there will be pressure on Rohit Sharma to bring home a World Cup to India after reaching the finals in the Cricket World Cup in November last year. “I wouldn't say pressure, it was our bad luck that the Australians played so brilliantly, you know Aussies when it comes to finals they lift up the game. So more than the pressure, I think Rohit will be waiting to take back the World Cup. Let's put it that way. There should be some course correction from the 2023 World Cup where we dominated the entire world and just missed out in the finals. So in my opinion, since Rohit Sharma was the 2007 World Cup winning champion, he knows what it means to win because he was a part of that World Cup, so as a captain, he will make sure that he would do that course correction this time.

I think he won't have pressure because we've got some terrific youngsters to follow the experience of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. So to be honest with you, I don't think there will be any pressure on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, those guys are experienced. They've played so much cricket and so many World Cups, they know what it's all about. But yes, Rohit would want to win it for himself and for the team because they just missed out in November last year."

Matthew Hayden, Commentator & Cricket Expert opined on what role Virat Kohli should play in the starting eleven of the World Cup team. "By popular consensus of the panel, I've got Virat there. I've got to have him in the powerplay. If I'm going to pick him, he has to play in the powerplay. He has to play the majority of those six overs as an opener, because Yashasvi does deserve to be there in my opinion, and it will be a left and right-hand combination which will be a huge bonus, and that's why I say it's such a pivotal selection, this. Who would have even thought that we would be having this conversation about the greatest player in India, maybe ever. So it all comes down to are we interested in selecting a side that we believe is the right balance and is going to win this world cup."

Tom Moody backed Rohit Sharma to be the mainstay Captain who will lead the side in the T20 World Cup. “It's an absolutely key question. Because without a good leader in the World Cup, you're finished. And Rohit Sharma is the genuine and authentic article right now. There will be a shift, but it will not be now. That's the first question anybody should answer is who is our captain?"