Aakash Chopra believes Team India should always use Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul at the top of the order in the shortest format of the game.
Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul gave blazing starts to the Indian innings in the first two T20Is against New Zealand. With the latter being rested for the final T20I, Ishan Kishan opened the batting with the Indian skipper.
Aakash Chopra In Favour Of KL Rahul And Rohit Sharma Opening
While reviewing the India-New Zealand bilateral T20I series in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra opined that the opening combination of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul should never be split. The other opening options include Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw, Venkatesh Iyer, Devdutt Padikkal, and Ruturaj Gaikwad.
He observed: “Rohit and Rahul should always open. These players have shown that one should forget Pakistan and New Zealand. There is both quality and quantity of runs here. Rohit Sharma is a beast when it comes to T20 cricket.”
While lauding Rohit Sharma’s destructive abilities, the cricketer-turned-commentator was particularly in awe of his majestic pull shot.
Aakash Chopra elaborated: “If he [Rohit] bats with an open mind and with freedom, no one can stop him. He hits the short balls in the stands and does that regularly. This series was in his name only, he came and destroyed the bowlers in every match.”
Rohit Sharma smashed 159 runs at an excellent strike rate of 154.36 in the three T20Is against New Zealand. He was duly chosen as the Player of the Series for his exploits with the bat. Rohit Sharma’s sequence of scores in the last six T20 Internationals is 74, 30, 56, 48, 55, and 56, and captaincy hasn’t changed his style of play one bit.
Aakash Chopra: KL Rahul Is India’s Best Batsman
Aakash Chopra also placed KL Rahul on a high pedestal. KL averages a high of 40.69, having played 56 T20Is. He has amassed 1831 runs with 2 tons and 16 fifties.
He pointed out: “Rahul with him, once again I will just reiterate, in my opinion he is India’s best T20 batter. You should keep him up the order. Don’t change that at all – whether it is left-right, matchups or anything.”
The 44-year-old concluded by stating that the Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul combination will enable Team India to play an aggressive brand of cricket.
Aakash Chopra said: “If India has to look ahead, they have to go with Rohit and Rahul, Rohit-Rahul Dravid and Rohit-KL Rahul. I am completely convinced. If you want to play a different brand of cricket, they could be your flagbearers.”
Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul stitched together a 117-run partnership for the opening wicket in the second T20I against New Zealand. It was their fifth-century partnership as a pair, including one for the second wicket against England at Manchester in 2018.
The 117-run stand in the 2nd T20I was their fifth-century partnership as a pair in T20Is, the joint-most for any pair, equaling the feat of Pakistan’s Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. It was also their fourth as an opening pair, equaling the feat of the Pakistani pair and India’s Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan.