Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan picked his choice of three batters for India's top order in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. Pathan slammed Virat Kohli critics who feel his strike rate is not high enough as per the modern T20 game. The former all-rounder went on to compare his strike rate with legendary West Indies batter Chris Gayle. However, he still does not want Kohli to open the innings alongside skipper Rohit Sharma. Also, he picked young Yashasvi Jaiswal as Rohit’s opening partner for the mega event.
"Now that World Cup is nearing. My top 3 for team India. 1) Rohit Sharma (in form as well as captain) 2) Yashasvi Jaiswal (been saying that he should be there even before his 100 purely cos he was performing well for team India before the ipl) 3) Virat Kohli. (Shouldn’t be any question regarding his place or strike rate. His strike rate at the T20I is 138 + Better than Chris Gayle+ 51 avg. N his ipl strike rate this season is 150)," the 39-year-old wrote on X.
Indian top-order’s numbers in IPL and T20Is
Rajasthan Royals opener Jaiswal on April 22 scored an unbeaten 104 against Mumbai Indians (MI) in the run chase. He became the first player in IPL history to score two centuries before turning 23. So far, in T20Is, he has scored 502 runs from 16 innings at an average of 33.46 including a century and four half-centuries. His strike rate is an impressive 161.93.
Rohit has been in good form too. He has scored 303 runs from eight games in the season at an average of 43.29 including one century which ended in losing cause. On the international stage, Rohit's strike rate is 139.97. He is 26 runs away from 4,000-run mark in T20Is.
Kohli currently has the Orange Cap with 379 runs from eight innings at an average of 63.17 including one century and two fifties. His strike rate is 150.40. On the international stage, Kohli is the leading run-scorer in the format. His strike rate is 138.15.
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