With the T20 World Cup 2024 just around the corner, the debate around India's ideal opening combination has intensified. While India's T20 World Cup squad announcement confirmed skipper Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Virat Kohli as top-order options, former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja has come up with a strange suggestion for India's opening pair..
Jadeja proposes a bold strategy, as he wants Virat Kohli to open alongside Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma to bat at no.3. This suggestion comes amidst Kohli's stellar performance at the top of the order for his IPL team, RCB. Currently, he sits as the second-highest run scorer in the ongoing IPL 2024 with 500 runs from just ten innings, averaging a remarkable 71.42 and striking at a blistering 147.49. Citing Kohli's recent success, Jadeja argues for him to open the batting. This approach could benefit the team in two ways – unleash Kohli's early-innings dominance and provide Rohit Sharma with some time to assess the pitch and adjust his game accordingly.
Jadeja doesn't want Rohit to open in T20 World Cup
"For me, Virat Kohli opens. Who goes back? Rohit Sharma bats at three. He gets a little cushion and gets to understand the game, he has so much going on, in his mind as a captain. If you have Virat in your side, you know consistency is the one thing you will get, so, might as well use him. He's best at the top and the powerplay allows him to settle in. When there's 20-30 on the board and then spin comes on, as he stays longer, he gets better. My pick has always been that if Virat is in this squad, he should open,” Jadeja said on Jiocinema.
Kohli's T20 Opening Pedigree
Jadeja's suggestion isn't entirely out of left field. Kohli has a history of success as a T20 opener, having done so nine times previously in international matches. In those innings, he amassed an impressive 400 runs at an exceptional average of 57.14 and a blistering strike rate of 161.29. This includes a century and two fifties, further highlighting his prowess at the top of the order. Adding weight to Jadeja's argument is Kohli's recent international century. During the Asia Cup 2022, while opening the batting, the 35-year-old batsman smashed his elusive 71st international hundred against Afghanistan.
Jadeja also said that the spotlight will be on captain Rohit when India will take field in the T20 World Cup 2024.
"The spotlight is on Rohit Sharma for obvious reasons. He’s a special player, a rare commodity you find in our country where somebody bowls seam-up and can make it to the side with his batting. The selection has not been on form, there’s no doubt about it. It depends on how you want to play. It’s one of the things I look at this team and think they don’t have many options,” he concluded.
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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