Enduring turbulent moments, Team India is afloat with Virat Kohli and bowlers steadying the ship whenever it appeared to sink. India have gotten out of jail twice, and if not for something special, Men in Blue would have been watching the knockout stages on TV.
As they face the West Indies on Thursday, holes remain. That it would be in batting is something nobody could guess. They seemed to be hoping it would somehow fill by default. As they approach the business end of the event, the holes have grown larger and Yuvraj Singh's absence due to injury means there will have to be forced changes. Though he struggled to get quick runs, he is the only batsman who lent Kohli a helping hand in the middle.
With Manish Pandey coming in as replacement, the team management faces a tricky call because Ajinkya Rahane is already in the squad. Rahane has played most of his T20 cricket as opener in the IPL and playing him in the middle, where the occasion demands going after the bowling, might go against him as he hasn't shown enough firepower in the middle. But with Shikhar Dhawan struggling for runs, the think tank might consider bringing in Rahane at the top as that will strengthen the batting.
"Play Rahane at No 4 because he can go at over run a ball. Once set, he can hit fours and hold up one end, and also plays spin better. And Raina in current form can't build partnerships, but at No 5, he gets licence to go after bowling and can play a big role," felt former India batsman Mohammad Kaif.
Pandey, in contrast, can solve a couple of things. With Raina having totalled only 41 runs in four matches, one might expect him to be dropped, but continuing with him could still be worth it because the left-hander has the ability to change games in a flash.
At No 4, Pandey can be an asset. He can hit boundaries and unlike Raina, can be effective against pacers too. The only thing going against Pandey is he has just joined the side and playing him straight up in a semifinal might be a big move.
"When the squad was picked Rahane was there. With Yuvraj out, he should naturally come in place of him because he has been with the set-up and knows what to do. And you're playing in Mumbai, which is his hometown.
"He will have that advantage as well. Moreover, he has proved across formats and conditions that he can perform, so Rahane should ideally replace Yuvraj," said former India batsman and commentator Rohan Gavaskar.
