T20 World Cup: Virat Kohli reveals India’s opening pair, his batting position
- Rohit Sharma starting as the opener is always a certainty but who will handle the other end
- Shikhar Dhawan is not a part of India's squad for ICC World T20
- KL Rahul, Virat Kohli and Ishan Kishan are all fit to be openers
The Indian team is one of the favourites to lift the T20
World Cup trophy. The side led by Virat Kohli will be looking to get their
hands on the title for the first time since 2007 in Virat Kohli’s last
tournament as T20 captain. However, one of the biggest questions heading into
the opening fixture is who will be opening the batting for the team.
Also Read – Gautam Gambhir reveals why winning T20 World Cup will be special for India
It is a no brainer that Rohit Sharma will occupy one of the
opening spots. But given that Shikhar Dhawan is not a part of the squad
selected for the competition, three men are in contention for the opening spot.
KL Rahul, Virat Kohli and Ishan Kishan are all fit to bat as
an opener. It was widely believed that Kohli will form the opening
pairing alongside Rohit but the skipper has revealed that KL Rahul will occupy
the remaining opening spot, while he will bat at number three.
Also Read – Virat Kohli backs ‘improved’ R Ashwin’s T20 World Cup selection
The revelation was made at the toss of India’s first warm up
fixture against England. The match is being played in Dubai and Kohli said that the
decision was made after Rahul’s blistering performances for Punjab
Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Virat said, “Things were different before IPL, now
it’s difficult to look beyond KL Rahul at the top of the order. Rohit is a
no-brainer. World-class player, he’s been solid up front. I will be batting at
3. That’s the only news I can give to start off,”
Also Read – T20 WC: Ireland’s Campher becomes third to take double hattrick in T20Is
KL Rahul amassed 626 runs in 13 innings and was in contention for the Orange
Cap, the award for the tournament’s highest run-getter. He was just behind Faf
du Plesis and Ruturaj Gaikwad who finished on 633 and 635 runs respectively.
Rahul boasted the highest average of 62.60 at a strike rate
of nearly 139. In the home series between India and England an opening pair of
Rohit and Kohli was used but a lot has changed since March.
The captain also revealed that the Playing XI for the rest of
the tournament has more or less been decided.
Related Articles
ADVERTISEMENT