Brad Hogg, the former Australia spinner feels Virat Kohli should be drafted at the top with Rohit Sharma, and Shreyas Iyer should bat at the No. 3 position. On Sunday, Shreyas Iyer himself expressed his desire to bat at the No. 3 spot, the place which is normally reserved for Virat Kohli. The Indian team currently has a wide range of alternatives to choose from.
With a wide talent pool, the team management faces a happy selection dilemma in the lead-up to this year’s T20I World Cup.
The opening mix itself has players like Ruturaj Gaikwad waiting in the wings and the phenomenal run of Shreyas Iyer further complicates the top-order selection. Ishan Kishan opened alongside skipper Rohit Sharma in the just-concluded T20I assignments against the West Indies and Sri Lanka.
Brad Hogg Wants Virat Kohli As An Opener At 2022 T20I World Cup
The in-form batter Shreyas Iyer hit three consecutive fifties against Sri Lanka after getting a chance in the side due to Virat Kohli being given a bio-bubble break. Brad Hogg also weighed in on the all-rounder picks and backed Venkatesh Iyer’s inclusion in the case of Hardik Pandya’s unavailability.
“For me, if you’re going to have Kohli in the team, he should be opening the batting with Rohit. I’d like to have Shreyas Iyer coming in at No.3 and Pant at No.4. Have to try to get KL Rahul in there as well at some stage. If Pandya is fit, he and Jadeja can feature at No.6 and 7,” Hogg said on his YouTube channel.
“I’d have Siraj, Bumrah and Shami are the quicks. Chahal will be the lead spinner. Suryakumar Yadav coming in at No.5. If Pandya is not fit, then Venkatesh Iyer coming in at No.6,” said Brad Hogg.
But with the return of prominent faces such as currently rested Virat Kohli and injured KL Rahul, head coach Rahul Dravid will have serious head-scratching to do for selecting the perfect team combination for the T20 showpiece event. India opened with the KL Rahul-Rohit Sharma duo in the previous edition of the tournament.
While the idea to open with Virat Kohli remains far-fetched, Virat Kohli had opened for India last year in a T20I against England, and the experiment reaped rewards. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli had put together a blistering opening stand of 94 runs in merely 9 overs, as India put a mammoth total of 224/2.
Brad Hogg Reckons It’s Going to Be Difficult To Beat India At T20I World Cup 2022
India endured a mediocre run in the last 2021 T20I World Cup as they crashed out of the event in its group stage. But Brad Hogg believes the current team has got the potential to beat hosts Australia in their own backyard in the forthcoming 2022 T20I World cup.
“It is going to be very difficult to beat India at the T20 World Cup. Depends on what venues India are going to be playing on, because that might determine their fate. If they end up having to play more on the bouncier surfaces, and who they play on those pitches, it could be a key factor.
“It’s the only thing that is going to stop India from winning the T20 World Cup. Other than that, I think they have got the team to beat Australia down here and any other team in Australian soil,” Brad Hogg elaborated.
The 27-year-old Shreyas Iyer smashed 204 runs in three matches without being dismissed even once and was duly adjudged the Player of the Series. He was not dismissed across the three matches, hitting 57* off 28, 74* off 44, and 73* off 45.