We make selections on the basis of performance – Rahul Dravid

Team India will be taking the yard against Afghanistan for the first time in the T20I series as Mohali gears up for the mega battle. Much to India’s woes, they will be missing Virat Kohli’s services while Afghanistan will be without Rashid Khan, who has been ruled out of the series.

With two big names out of the equation, it is going to be interesting to see how India’s XI shapes up for the first clash of the series. Rahul Dravid had a few major updates ahead of the contest as he confirmed that Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal will open the innings which will see the Indian skipper returning to the fold in the shortest format of the game after 14 staggering months.

Talking in a presser ahead of the battle, Dravid said, “As of now, we will be opening with Rohit and Jaiswal. When you have a squad that offers flexibility, we can take a call that is in the best interest of the team. We are certainly happy with what Jaiswal has done for us as an opener. It also gives us the left-right combination at the top.”

He further added, “Nothing is closed (Kohli opening with Rohit). We have no doubt that the kind of ability and skill sets players like Rohit and Kohli possess, they will be able to find answers against different kinds of bowling.”

Dravid continued, “We still have left-handers in the line-up. But it is not only about left-handers but it is their ability to play through a period and to be able to tackle different kinds of spin that there is.”

He concluded by stating, “Players like Rinku, Jaiswal and Tilak have come in as well, which adds a nice string to the bow. But in the end, we make selection on the basis of performance, not just on the left-hand or right-hand batsman.”