Finance
On Sunday, India captain Rohit Sharma stated that Virat Kohli will be a backup opener at the T20 World Cup, while KL Rahul will open with him. He also stated that leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi was unlucky to be left out because he desired R Ashwin, who adds a different dimension to the team’s balance.
KL is set to open
Rohit has defended his deputy, who has been chastised for his slow T20 scoring, saying that people often overlook his team performance, which he has done exceptionally well in the last two three years, he has done exceptionally well.
“KL Rahul will open for us at the T20 World Cup. We are not going to experiment with that position a lot. His performances often go unnoticed. He is a very important player for India,” Rohit told reporters in Mohali ahead of the first T20I.
“If you look at his performances over last two-three years, it has been excellent. I want to make it clear to everyone that we have absolute clarity on this. There is no confusion.”
However, Rohit’s unwavering belief in KL is not supported by the numbers. KL Rahul has scored 547 runs at a strike rate of 128.40 in the last 20 matches he has played in the last two and a half years, falling progressively short of his career strike rate of 140.91.
Virat is the backup opener.
With Kohli scoring a century in the Asia Cup, the debate over Rohit’s opening partner has heated up. However, the Indian captain has stated that Virat Kohli will be the third opener.
“It is always nice to have options available for you, especially if you are going into a tournament such as T20 World Cup, you want that flexibility. It’s an option for us, and since we have not taken the third opener, he can obviously open,” Rohit said.
“It is always nice to have options available for you, especially if you are going into a tournament such as T20 World Cup, you want that flexibility. It’s an option for us, and since we have not taken the third opener, he can obviously open,” Rohit said.
“He opens for his franchise, and he has done really well. It’s a definite option for us.”
Virat Kohli, while opening for India, had recorded his first international hundred in nearly three years against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup.
“I had a word with Rahul Dravid and we have decided that we might have to open with Virat in few matches. We have seen that in the last match and we are happy,” said Rohit.
Rohit Sharma insisted that he never wanted a one-dimensional attack and always wanted variety. Ravi Bishnoi was passed over for R Ashwin because he wanted an off-spinner in the team and was also impressed with Ashwin’s batting.
“I wanted a left-arm spinner, a leg-spinner and an off-spinner. Bishnoi was very very close, and very unfortunate that he missed out. But I thought having variety in your team is more important than going with the similar option,” said Rohit.
“Yuzvendra Chahal, when in good rhythm, can destroy the opposition. Axar was always part of our plan, we needed an all-round option in the absence of Ravindra Jadeja, he is a big miss for us. It was always going to be between Axar and Jadeja for us, again a three-phase bowler (can bowl in the powerplay, in the middle overs and then in the 17th or 18th overs). We were quite clear that Axar is the guy who can get the job done for us.
“Ravichandran Ashwin, with his new variations, will be good against the right-handers. Also I have been impressed with his batting, and with him in the team, it gives depth to our batting line-up,” he added.
