Virat Kohli should open with Rohit Sharma in T20 World Cup: Sunil Gavaskar

Legendary Sunil Gavaskar wants Virat Kohli to open with Rohit Sharma in the T20 World Cup. Kohli recently opened the innings with Faf du Plessis for RCB in the IPL and delivered for the franchise. Yashasvi Jaiswal didn’t play the warm-up match against Bangladesh on Saturday whereas Kohli was rested.

Virat Kohli scored 741 runs in 15 innings at an average of 61.75 and a strike rate of 154.69 in IPL 2024. Kohli ended the tournament as the highest run-getter and bagged the Orange Cap award. Thus, he played an instrumental role in taking RCB to the playoffs.

Gavaskar wants Yashasvi Jaiswal to bat at number three whereas backed Suryakumar Yadav to bat at number four.

“Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as openers. The way Kohli has batted, particularly the second half of the IPL, he deserves to open the batting with Rohit Sharma, the captain. Seriously, good players are good players. They can bat anywhere, you know whether they’re right and left hand,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.

The Little Master doesn’t want India to have a right and left-hand opening batting combination and feels Kohli will be a good bet given his hot IPL form.

“So no, I don’t think. It’s very good to talk on television about left hand-right hand combination, good players are good players. In Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, you have got 2 terrific and 2 fantastic batters. The kind of form Kohli has shown in the IPL, he has to open the batting.”

“As he is in that flow, he is in that rhythm. You don’t want Kohli to wait, even if it is for an over, or even 5 deliveries before he comes out to bat. It is a different feeling when you are walking out with someone to bat. There is a little bit of exchange that they will say let us get going, etc. Walking out alone is different than walking out with a partner,” Gavaskar said.

India will begin their campaign against Ireland on June 5th.