Indian team captain Rohit Sharma is not ruling out the possibility of Virat Kohli opening the T20 World Cup. But he also made it clear that KL Rahul is the first choice of the team management committee as the opener.
Questions about the opener
India has only six more matches before the T20 World Cup. The first match starts on Tuesday, against Australia in Mohali. Two days before that match, Rohit had to face questions about the opener in a press conference. In response to this, he said, “Rahul (Dravid) and I have talked about this. We have to open with Virat in a few matches. Because he is our third opener. In the Asia Cup, we saw what Virat can do as an opener.” Then Rohit said, “But KL Rahul will open in T20 World Cup. We don’t want to do special tests on that place.”
He added, “Rahul is a very important cricketer for India. Many people are talking a lot from outside, I know. I want to make one thing clear to everyone. There is no confusion between us about the opening pair.”
Many questions are raised about opener Rahul’s strike rate. Meanwhile, Kohli regained his form again in the Asia Cup. After which the debate started, should Kohli be sent to open? Rohit clearly said, “We know very well what Rahul can contribute to the team. He alone can win matches. We don’t have the third opener in the team. So Virat can open. That’s what Virat does in IPL.”
Captain’s statement and stance
The Indian team for the World Cup has been selected. So, Rohit’s idea is that the boys will be able to play two series against Australia and South Africa with an open mind. He said, “I wanted to create an atmosphere of security among the cricketers. That’s why the World Cup team is selected along with the two-home series. And almost the same team is playing.”
India was accused of testing a bit too much in the Asia Cup. But Rohit explains that he is not afraid to run new experiments. India skipper said, “In these six matches we want the boys to reinvent themselves. If someone is not comfortable with the reverse sweep, he can still go out and play this shot. Someone may be hesitant to come forward and hit the ball. But we’ll encourage him to play that shot. I’ll see if everything goes well.”
Before the Asia Cup, Rohit said that they want to play aggressive cricket from the start. Even after failing in the Asia Cup, India is ready to walk on that path. In Rohit’s words, “We will play that way. And if wickets fall quickly, then we have alternative plans.” The captain explained, “If our score becomes three wickets for ten runs, then the boys know how to play. If it is 50 for no wicket, then everyone knows how to play.”