India batting coach Vikram Rathour opened up on how the management came up with the batting positions of Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant for the T20 World Cup 2024.
With players fresh from the just concluded IPL season and in form, India was spoilt for choice, with numerous options at its disposal. However, the Indian team management provided the first indication of their potential starting XI in that practice game against Bangladesh before making it official in their World Cup opener against Ireland on June 5.
In order to optimize their power-hitting options in the middle-order and accommodate more all-rounders, India opened with Virat Kohli, who was promoted from his regular No. 3 slot in the line-up, while Rishabh Pant took the latter spot in an unexpected decision.
Kohli had come into the T20 World Cup with 741 runs in IPL 2024 as an opener for RCB. However, in the T20 World Cup, he has managed just 5 runs in three innings. However, Rishabh Pant’s batting at no.3 has proven to be a masterstroke as the wicketkeeper-batter scored 96 runs in three innings so far.
We wanted a left-hander at No. 3: Vikram Rathour on Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant’s batting positions
Vikram Rathour, India’s batting coach, spoke with former cricketers Harbhajan Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu on Star Sports about how the management developed their batting approach.
Rathour believed that the decision to promote Kohli was solely based on his IPL success, whereas the reason to elevate Pant was to counter the left-arm spin threat.
“Our batting group has great versatility. After discussing with everyone, we concluded that Virat’s best batting position would be to open. He is great against fast bowlers and came out of an excellent IPL season. As a group, we wanted a left-hander at No. 3 because if an opposition side starts with a left-arm spinner, we would have an advantage, and in Rishabh Pant, we found a perfect player who could take up that role. He actually showed that in the last 2-3 matches,” he said.
India went undefeated in the group stage, defeating Ireland, Pakistan, and the USA to advance to the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup. The Men in Blue will next face Afghanistan on June 20 in Barbados.
Also Read: Navjot Singh Sidhu Slams Pakistan’s Struggle With The Bat In T20 World Cup 2024
