'You can't be so set in one way': Stephen Fleming BLUNTLY tells Rohit & Dravid to make BIG change

India is set to compete in the Super 8 stage of the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, beginning on June 19. Led by Rohit Sharma, Team India will face Rashid Khan's Afghanistan on June 20. This challenging Group 1 match will take place at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados. So far, India has won all three matches they played, with one game against Canada resulting in no result due to bad weather.

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Stephen Fleming wants one change in India's playing XI

Ahead of this crucial Super 8 clash against Afghanistan, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming predicts a significant change in India's playing XI. Fleming, the former New Zealand captain who has been involved with Indian cricket for the past 17 years through his association with CSK in IPL, suggests that Kuldeep Yadav might be included in the starting XI for the West Indies leg of the T20 World Cup 2024.

“You can't be so set in one way of playing that you miss the opportunities to take advantage of conditions as you say but yeah, I would think maybe Kuldeep would come in to provide that extra bit of wicket-taking flair if the wickets do provide the turn as they get a little bit more used and you get closer to the end of the tournament," Stephen Fleming told ESPNcricinfo.

Stephen Fleming also commented on the exclusion of Yashasvi Jaiswal. The Indian management, led by Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid, has opted for Virat Kohli's experience at the top of the order. While Jaiswal could have been a compelling choice, Rohit and Dravid trust Kohli's ability to perform in major tournaments. However, it's worth noting that Kohli has yet to make a significant impact in this tournament.

"They had to make some hard calls while Jaiswal was a great player, that's leaving out top quality players is always difficult and having a plan and you stay to it when you've got great players sitting on the sidelines is always very difficult because it's tempting to keep looking where the grass is greener, but I like the job they've done, they've got through," Fleming said.

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CSK coach backs India to reach final of T20 World Cup 2024

Despite this, Stephen Fleming has expressed confidence in India's potential to reach the T20 World Cup 2024 final. He highlighted India's strength in spin bowling, which he believes will be crucial in the West Indies due to spinner-friendly pitches. This will not only benefit India's bowlers but also their batters.

"This is a team that in some ways is picked for the finals in my view, it's a team that has spinners that can dominate, it has players that can dominate spin and we've seen spin in the West Indies play quite a big part, not so much in New York. So, I think they've got job done and they've got quite smartly a view of mind, this is how we want to play the key games now going into hopefully the semi-finals and final," Fleming said.

Virat Kohli is expected to improve his performance with the bat in the Super 8 stage, as conditions in the West Indies will differ significantly from those in New York, where India played all their group stage matches, except for the rain-affected one. Kohli has been a phenomenal player against spin bowling all his career and the conditions in West Indies are expected to suit him very well.