With India’s cash-rich league Indian Premier League featuring the likes of Team India star batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli hitting it out of the park for their respective franchises, fans can’t stop dreaming of a Rohit-Kohli opening duo in Team India’s upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 campaign.
Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill, India’s top 3 in world cup..
Do you agree with Brian Lara’s statment? pic.twitter.com/9zfrzN1jyz— Satya Prakash (@Satya_Prakash08) April 8, 2024
However, West Indies cricket legend Brian Lara has cautioned India against deploying Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as opening batters in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Lara, speaking during a virtual press conference organized by Star Sports, expressed concerns that relying on two highly experienced players at the start of the innings might not be beneficial for India’s prospects in the tournament. Both Kohli and Rohit frequently open the batting for their respective IPL teams and have enjoyed success in the league.
Brian Lara On Virat-Rohit Duo
“I think Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli going as openers to the West Indies will serve India very well. I think when you are picking your team and your batting order, you have to pick the team based on what you want your players to do. It doesn’t matter who fills that spot. They have a job. If you want to score 70-80 in the first 6 overs, you have got to pick players to do so, it doesn’t matter the name of the players,” Lara said on Star Sports.
“So, for me, they are great players (Rohit and Virat), I think though that you should have some youthful punch in the opening spot. One of the younger players, showing their mettle, showing what they are capable of and have one of those experienced players shepherd the innings in the middle order right through till the end. Having that experience up front, it could have a negative effect if they get dismissed early, so I will use one yes, but use the other at No. 3,” he further added.
Lara, on Monday, April 8th, suggested that India should pair one of its seasoned campaigners with a younger player as an opener, while slotting the other player at number three. He emphasized that the player at number three, namely Virat Kohli, should be tasked with guiding the innings to its conclusion.
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