Sunil Gavaskar, former cricketer-turned-commentator termed opener KL Rahul’s poor form as a blessing in disguise as it gave India a new opening combination in the form of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in T20 international cricket.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli opened for Team India in the final 5th T20I against England in Ahmedabad and the move paid rich dividends as it helped the hosts India to win the match by 36 runs on Saturday.
Sunil Gavaskar: It Was Important For Virat Kohli To Bat At The Top Of The Order
India made a big change in its batting order in the 5th and final T20I against England as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli walked out to the middle of the crease after England opted to field in the series-decider. The decision paid off as the veteran duo stitched an opening partnership worth 94 runs which was their highest in the series.
Rohit Sharma smashed 64 from just 34 balls while Virat Kohli made 22 off 20 as the two laid a solid foundation for a big score which was finally achieved. India had been struggling at the top of the order with KL Rahul scoring 1,0,0, 14 in the first four T20Is, Virat Kohli had backed KL Rahul to come well up until the final match as his patience finally ran out with the Karnataka batsman.
“Your best batsman should bat the most number of overs in limited-overs cricket. So it was very important for Virat Kohli to bat at the top of the order. So maybe, KL Rahul’s loss of form has been a blessing in disguise because this has given us an opening combination to look forward to,” said Sunil Gavaskar.
“Like when Sachin Tendulkar was batting down the order in ODIs and then he was sent up to open the batting and what a transformation it had not just on his batting but the whole team. So clearly, your best batsman has to bat as many overs as they can,” Sunil Gavaskar told India Today.
Sunil Gavaskar Would Persist With The Opening Formula Of Virat Kohli And Rohit Sharma
Pacers Shardul Thakur (3 for 45) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2 for 15) then helped India restrict England to 188 for 8 and win the game by 36 runs. The hosts clinched the 5-match series 3-2 in Ahmedabad.
“I would persist with this opening formula. Look at the way they fed off each other. You could see the interaction between the two of them, whenever each of them got the big shot going. When that happens, when two leaders of the team show the way, it becomes easier for the guys coming down the order. With Suryakumar Yadav, in India colours and playing those camoes, it’s really good,” Gavaskar added.
Apart from Rohit Sharma’s 64 and Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 80, Suryakumar Yadav scored 32 off 17 balls and Hardik Pandya played a cameo towards the end by being unbeaten on 39 off 17 balls. Virat Kohli’s 80 was laced with 7 fours and 2 sixes and came off 52 balls. All the Indian batsmen had a strike rate of above 150.
Vi rat Kohli was the highest run-getter in the series and was awarded Man of the Series for scoring 231 runs averaging 115.5 in 5 games. Shardul Thakur was the leading wicket-taker with 8 scalps averaging 21 in 5 games.