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Former India captain Sourav Ganguly is one of the few who believes Virat Kohli should open the batting for India in the upcoming T20 World Cup which is scheduled to start from June 2. Ganguly has been vocal about this strategy since Kohli's excellent run began in IPL 2024. He reiterated his stance after Kohli's impressive 92-run knock against Punjab Kings of late. Kohli has been on fire with the bat in the ongoing IPL 2024, amassing 634 runs in just 12 matches. His current average of 70.44 and a strike rate of 153.51 are significantly higher than his career average and strike rate, demonstrating his exceptional form.
You need to use him as opener in T20 World Cup: Sourav Ganguly
In a recent interview with PTI during a promotional event in Bengaluru, Sourav Ganguly couldn't hide his admiration for Virat Kohli's performance. He specifically praised Kohli's blistering 47-ball knock that secured a crucial 60-run victory for RCB against Punjab Kings at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. This win kept Royal Challengers Bangalore's faint playoff hopes alive in IPL 2024.
“Virat is playing exceptionally well. The way Kohli batted last night – 90 in quick time, you need to use him as opener in T20 World Cup. He should open, evidenced by his last few IPL innings which have been outstanding,” Ganguly said.
Virat Kohli's track record as an opener in T20Is
Virat Kohli has opened the batting only nine times in his 117 T20I appearances for India. Despite limited opportunities, he has scored an impressive 400 runs at an average of 57.14 and a strike rate of 161.29. This tally includes his only T20I century, an unbeaten 122 against Afghanistan in the 2022 Asia Cup.
Sourav Ganguly also expressed his belief that the BCCI selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar has picked a balanced squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
“This is an excellent squad. I think they have picked the best possible squad. Apart from batting depth, bowling looks excellent. Bumrah is the best fast bowler in the world at the moment. We have experience in Kuldeep, Axar, Siraj. It’s an ideal combination we have this time,” Ganguly added.
India's quest for their second T20 World Cup title continues. Their lone victory came way back in 2007, when they emerged champions in the first-ever edition held in South Africa.
Notably, Rohit Sharma-led India have been placed in Group A with USA, Canada, Pakistan and Ireland. But all eyes will be on the high-profile India versus Pakistan's clash on June 9. India's campaign will kick off on June 5 against Ireland, followed by the much-anticipated Pakistan encounter. Their remaining group-stage matches are against the USA on June 12 and Canada on June 15. Interestingly, the first three games will be played in New York, with the final group stage clash happening in Lauderhill.
India’s squad for T20 World Cup 2024
Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah.
Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan.
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