Rohit should open in World Cup - Laxman

Former India batsman VVS Laxman believes the support staff appointed for India's limited-overs matches in England should stay in their jobs till next year's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Laxman also said Duncan Fletcher must stay on as head coach "without a doubt" until the tournament.

After the 3-1 drubbing in the Test series in England, the BCCI had appointed former India allrounder Ravi Shastri as team director and Sanjay Bangar, B Arun and R Sridhar as assistant coaches in an interim capacity for the ODI series that followed. Bowling coach Joe Dawes and fielding coach Trevor Penney were sent on leave for the series and their future was unclear. India went on to win the ODIs 3-1, though they were beaten in the T20 international. Laxman said the new support staff had a positive influence on the team.

"I am hoping the BCCI will stick to the support staff we had for the one-dayers till the World Cup. The tournament is only six months away so there isn't enough time to chop and change," Laxman told ESPNcricinfo. "I have worked with Ravi Shastri in 2007 when we toured Bangladesh and he is a very positive person, immense knowledge of the game, he was himself a great leader for Mumbai and he captained India in one Test that India won convincingly. I am glad Bharat Arun and R Sridhar got their opportunity to coach at the highest level because they have a good track record at the India A and Under-19 level, and Sanjay Bangar because of his recent success with Kings XI Punjab."

India's tour of England was a mixed bag with the team succumbing meekly after taking the lead in the Test series but bouncing back with a commanding show in the ODIs that followed. Laxman is convinced that experiences from the tour will help the players "blossom."

"I have always regarded tours of South Africa, Australia and England as important for a team to become better," he said. "I am sure the Indian players have learned, the way they bounced back showed a lot of character and definitely they will turn into much better players."

Laxman rejected claims that India's young cricketers were not as perturbed by failure at Test level as previous generations. "I know for a fact that players like Kohli, Rahane, Pujara, Dhawan take a lot of pride in what they do in Tests and more so in overseas conditions," he said. "You've seen the way M Vijay adapted to the Test series, he didn't play his natural game, played with a lot of controlled aggression. So they focus on Tests and I don't agree that they don't give enough emphasis to Tests."

Laxman also insisted that Test success was the "number one priority" of the BCCI and said the number of matches India play were at "par with any other international side." "The way the BCCI is organising A tours to countries such as Australia, England and New Zealand and the exposure being given to youngsters is also very important. I am sure importance is given to Test cricket."

With the World Cup a few months away, the focus has turned to India's build-up towards their title defence. According to Laxman, India "should not read too much into this one-day series win because the England side was not very good or competitive." Laxman said India needed to focus on two crucial areas to improve as a limited-overs side - death bowling and the openers.

"In the T20 they gave away 50 runs in the last three overs, which is a lot, so I think these two issues are a problem. Also the way India start with their batting will be important because of two new balls and conditions suiting the fast bowlers," he said. "Luckily for India they are playing a tri-series before the World Cup and that too against the Australians in their own backyard. It will be a good experience for the players to get used to the conditions."

Although Ajinkya Rahane was successful as an opener in the ODIs in England after replacing the injured Rohit Sharma, Laxman said Rohit should be restored in the job. "The wickets in Australia will suit him [Rohit]. He had a successful ODI series in 2007 when he was young and inexperienced. His style of batting will suit Australian conditions, so I will definitely go back to Rohit and have Rahane as a back-up but play him in the middle order."

One player Laxman marked out for special praise was Suresh Raina, who was named Man of the Series in the ODIs. According to Laxman, Raina's century in the second game in Cardiff was the kind of "brilliant individual performance that can change the entire atmosphere in the dressing room."

"He is a very important player because not only is he a good batsman but he is also an exceptional fielder, who lifts the entire team on the field. He is also a useful bowler, who has the knack of taking wickets at crucial times."

Laxman was not too concerned with Virat Kohli's lack of form. Kohli's only half-century on the tour came in the T20 international in Birmingham. "It's good that he is having a break before the series against West Indies and isn't part of the Champions League because this time away will allow him to reflect on what has happened and come back stronger," Laxman said. "He is a very hard working young cricketer and I am sure that he will bounce back. It's a matter of time before he starts scoring runs like the way he has over the last few years."