As the date of the squad announcement for the T20 World Cup comes nearer, speculations about it are brewing more and more. Following a meeting between Captain Rohit Sharma, coach Dravid and chief selector Ajit Agarkar, speculation once again revolves around star Indian batter Virat Kohli but this time in a “new role”.
Kohli’s place in the T20 squad was put into question right after the ODI World Cup 2023, and a lot has followed after that. Now, just a fortnight before the squad announcement, shouts are coming out of Virat Kohli as an opener alongside Rohit Sharma in the upcoming World Cup. As reports claimed that Kohli asked for clarity regarding his position in the team for World Cup to selectors.
Kohli who is the current holder of the Orange Cap in IPL 2024, with 361 runs in 7 matches at a strike rate of 147.34, opens for his franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Opening the innings for India wouldn’t also be something alien to him as he started his international career as an opener in 2008.
In the T20I as an opener, Kohli scored 400 runs in 9 matches with an impressive strike rate of 161.
Brain Lara even suggested Rohit and Virat’s combo for opening on Star Sports
“I think Rohit and Virat going as openers in this T20 World Cup will serve India very well.”
Following this fans took no time to take on social media to express their views on it. While some are excited about the mouthwatering prospect of Rohit-Kohli duo in the World Cup, a section of the fan base seems skeptical about their strike rates in the recent past.
One fan shared
“That sounds like an exciting combination! Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are exceptional players with great chemistry on the field. Their partnership at the top of the order could be a game-changer for India in the T20I World Cup.” (@nandkishore9996 on X).
Another fan gave a shout to exciting young prospect from SRH Abhishek Sharma for the opening slot
“Out of all the Indian openers this year @IPL, Abhishek Sharma is hitting the best. I wonder why no one is rooting for him in the T20 spot.” (Prashant Rajan/@farzideveloper on X).
If the team decides to go with Rohit and Kohli as their openers, it would automatically sideline exciting young left-hander, Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is yet to score significant runs in this year’s IPL. This would also mean that the likes of Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad would be going to miss out on the World Cup this term, despite being on a good run of form.