Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra wants Indian batting superstar Virat Kohli to open the batting for India beginning with the second T20I against Afghanistan. The 35-year-old will make his return to the Indian T20I after 14 months, with his last game coming against England in the semifinals of the 2022 T20 World Cup.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have returned to the T20 squad, intending to make themselves available for the T20 World Cup. The Indian skipper led the team against Afghanistan and played the first T20I, whereas Virat Kohli withdrew due to personal reasons and will return for the second match in Indore.
Speaking on his YouTube Channel, Aakash Chopra stated that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are best suited to open the innings for India in the 2024 T20 World Cup and that the decision to open with senior Indian players for Sunday’s game should be made by the team management.
“If you see the entire World Cup, Virat Kohli has a playing style and he scores a lot of runs when he follows that template. Even in T20s, he rarely starts hitting fours and sixes from the first ball. He takes his time. If he has to run at a strike rate of 150, he does that in the powerplay.”
“In New York or the West Indies, the pitches will be such that there will be more chances of runs getting scored in the first six overs. So ideally you want Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to be together from the start. If you have to follow that template, start it now,” Aakash Chopra said.
The decision to open the innings with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma could be influenced by the Indian batting maestro’s willingness to open the batting in the shorter format of the game. However, having the Ace batsman open the batting with the Indian captain could turn things around for the team heading into the marquee event in the West Indies and the USA.
I Don’t Want To Keep Suryakumar Yadav At No.4 – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra wants the Indian team to open the batting with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the upcoming games, even if Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill are available for selection. The Cricket-turned-commentator believes that opening the batting with experienced Indian pros will help Suryakumar Yadav to bat at No.3 in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
“You are talking about keeping Yashasvi Jaiswal or Shubman Gill. You wanted to play Gill at No. 3. He opened in the last match because Yashasvi wasn’t there, but that’s neither your long-term plan nor you have thought anything about it. You already said that Yashasvi is your first opener alongside Rohit and not Gill.”
“So if Yashasvi is available, you will get him to open. However, if you get Yashasvi to open, my problem is not only about Kohli at No. 3. I don’t want to keep Suryakumar Yadav at No. 4. I want him at No. 3. Suryakumar Yadav is India’s No. 1 T20 batter. So I want him at No. 3 and I want to give him time to drive the game,” Aakash Chopra added.
It is speculated that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will open the batting for India in the T20 World Cup 2024. It will be intriguing to see whether he opens the innings for India in the second T20 International against Afghanistan. Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma opened the batting for India in the 1st T20I as Yashasvi Jaiswal was out due to injury.
