Virat Kohli wants clarity about T20 World Cup spot,...

The selection committee apparently came up with the opening gambit because Virat Kohli reportedly needed clarification over his status in India’s T20 World Cup team.

Virat Kohli Set to Open with Rohit Sharma in T20 World Cup, Reports Suggest

When Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma come out to begin the batting in the T20 World Cup in June in the USA and the West Indies, don’t be shocked. According to reports, the selection committee headed by Ajit Agarkar is eager to have Virat open for Rohit in the global tournament. Ajit Agarkar, the chief sector, captain Rohit, and head coach Rahul Dravid met in Mumbai last week, and it was then that the idea of starting Kohli as the opener was reportedly seriously explored.

Regarding Kohli’s place in the Indian T20 World Cup team, which is expected to be revealed in two weeks, there has been a lot of conjecture, but all of the questions seem to have been answered. When Rohit, Dravid, and the selectors convened after the ODI World Cup in 2018, there was uncertainty around Virat’s position in the T20 team. However, in the past few months, a lot has changed.

For the home series against Afghanistan, Virat declared himself available. For the first time in over two years, he and Rohit were back in the Twenty20 format. In the two games he participated in, he batted at his favorite position of No. 3, beginning the batting with Rohit alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. However, that might alter during the 2019 T20 World Cup.

According to the Jagran story, Virat sought clarification from the selection committee over his status for the T20 World Cup, and they responded by devising the opening gambit.

Over the last several IPL seasons, Virat has been the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s usual opener. With 361 runs at a 147 strike rate in seven games, he now holds the Orange Cap. He’s reached a century already.

The stats of Virat Kohli as the opener

Not that Kohli hasn’t succeeded in international cricket before. He really began his international career in 2008 against Sri Lanka as an opener in one-day matches. He took up the No. 3 position gradually and made it his own. In T20Is, he has a respectable opening record. The former captain of India has amassed 400 runs at an average of 57 in 9 matches, surpassing his lifetime average of 51 in Twenty20 international cricket.

Furthermore, in this format, when Kohli begins the batting, his strike rate rises from 138 to 161. In the Asia Cup 2022, he opened the batting against Afghanistan and scored the best individual score by an Indian in the shortest format—his lone T20I century.

India scored 224 runs in their lone opening partnership between Kohli and Rohit, which lasted for nineteen overs. While Rohit blasted a blistering 64 off 34 balls, Kohli led India in scoring with 80 off 52 balls.

Yashasvi Jaiswal will be unable to participate in Rohit and Kohli’s opener.

In the T20 World Cup, if Kohli opens with Rohit, it will provide room in India’s middle order for heavyweights like Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, or Riyan Parag, who may mount a counterattack after the powerplay. Then, Suryakumar Yadav may enter the game at No. 3 and provide more deliveries to have a greater effect.

Yashasvi Jaiswal would, however, also have to miss out on this. Because of his IPL comeback, the selectors are really a little inclined to choose Shubman Gill as the backup opener. Prior to the start of the 17th season, Jaiswal was the favorite to start as the opener, but after the first few IPL matches, the odds have somewhat shifted in favour of the GT skipper. Gill has been reliable, but Jaiswal hasn’t quite been able to get things going. However, Jaiswal’s left-handedness might work to his advantage.

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