Parthiv Patel, former opener and the former keeper said that Virat Kohli should open in the T20Is for the Men in Blue alongside skipper Rohit Sharma as it will give him the opportunity to play his shots from the start and just impose himself on the opposition.
Parthiv Patel said that Virat Kohli, who has not been in form across all three formats in the last few months will benefit highly from starting the game as an opener instead of batting at No. 3 where he will have to play the situation.
Parthiv Patel Wants Virat Kohli As An Opener So That He Can Unleash Himself
Parthiv Patel said prior to India’s squad selection for Asia Cup 2022 that he wants Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to open while saying that it will allow the former to play freely.
“I would want Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to open. I want Kohli to open so that he can just go out and unleash himself. He’s taken a break, but we all know there’s no shortage of ability in his batting style. As an opener, you start the game at 0-0. Whereas at No.3, you have to play according to the situation. Kohli can play the way he wants and can still play at a strike rate of 170, and if two wickets have fallen early, he can also play at 130,” Parthiv Patel said.
Parthiv Patel: Virat Kohli Has Done Well As An Opener In IPL And T20Is
“You want Kohli to play as freely as he can. There’s no pressure on him and he doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone. He’s already scored 70 hundred and has scored plenty of runs. All his runs and his big knocks have come as an opener in the IPL in 2016, 2017 and 2018. That’s the position that he likes and he likes to go out there an play an attacking brand of cricket,” Parthiv Patel further added.
In 84 IPL innings at the top of the order, Virat Kohli had scored 2972 runs at an average and strike rate of 41.86 and 134.54 respectively. In addition to 20 IPL half-centuries as an opener, each one of Virat Kohli’s five centuries has come at the top of the order, while opening for Royal Challengers Bangalore-RCB.