Ex-India Star Wants Rohit Sharma-Virat Kohli To Open In ICC T20 World Cup 2024

14.01.2024 - 09:09 sports.ndtv.com

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra wants senior Indian batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to open during the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA, saying that the pitches at the venue will be such that there will be better chances at scoring runs in the first six overs of the innings.

Rohit and Virat will be playing together in a T20I match for the first time in over one year since India's crushing loss to England in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 when they meet Afghanistan in the second T20I at Indore on Sunday.

India leads the series 1-0. The T20 WC will be held this year from June onwards. On his Youtube channel, Aakash said that Virat takes his time during his innings and scores really well while following his template of dominating after a cautious start.

But in T20Is, he is able to score at a great strike rate in the powerplay. If the team management wants to go ahead with them as openers, they should start with the Afghanistan series, he added. "If you see the entire World Cup, Virat Kohli has a playing style and he scores a lot of runs when he follows that template.

cricket India Cricket Team 2024 cup Virat Kohli Rohit Sharma Aakash Chopra Usa New York India Afghanistan

Veteran Indian cricket team wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik was not pleased with Rohit Sharma's 'defensive' approach on Day 4 of the first Test match against England on Sunday. Resuming at 316/6, Ollie Pope ended up scoring 196 as India were given a target of 231. Karthik said that India were very defensive in their approach from the start of the day and although it was understandable to be conservative in their tactics against Pope, he pointed out that against tail-enders like Tom Hartley, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja should have had attacking fielders to create pressure.

"Yashasvi Jaiswal Has Run Ahead Of Shubman Gill": Ex-India Star's Massive T20 World Cup Verdict

Former India opener Aakash Chopra has suggested that Yashasvi Jaiswal is slightly ahead of Shubman Gill in the pecking order as captain Rohit Sharma's partner at the top in T20Is. Since making his debut last year, Jaiswal has been in stunning form in the shortest format of the game. Gill's form, on the other hand, has dipped since the ODI World Cup last year in India. With the T20 World Cup scheduled to be held later this year, Chopra feels Jaiswal will open the innings with Rohit during the tournament.

"India Were Wrong In...": Ex Star Blasts Rohit Sharma And Team Over 'Controversial Run' In 3rd T20I

Indian cricket team skipper Rohit Sharma was livid over a 'controversial run' involving Mohammad Nabi and Rahmanullah Gurbaz during the third T20I encounter against Afghanistan in Bengaluru on Wednesday. On the final ball of the first Super Over, Nabi missed a yorker from Mukesh Kumar and as they went for the single, a throw from Sanju Samson from behind the stumps hit the batter and went towards long-on. The batters ended up completing two more runs and take their score to 16. Rohit was not happy at all with the batters taking advantage of the situation and although he ended up having an interaction with Nabi over the run, the extra two runs were deemed legit by the on-field umpires.

"The 4 Players On Bench...": Rohit Sharma's Blunt Take On T20 World Cup Squad

India captain Rohit Sharma returned to form after back-to-back ducks in the T20I series against Afghanistan, scoring an unbeaten ton in the 3rd T20I. Other than Rohit, Rinku Singh also rose to the occasion, stitching an unbeaten partnership of 190 runs with the skipper to take the team from 22/4 to 212/4. After the game, Rohit was asked about the T20 World Cup combinations and the mindset he, as well as the head coach Rahul Dravid have on the matter. Rohit gave a rather blunt response, saying he knows it is not possible to keep everyone happy.

"Wanted Someone Like That At...": Rohit Sharma Drops Big Rinku Singh T20 World Cup Selection Hint

Following India's win over Afghanistan in the third T20I following two Super Overs, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma lauded middle-order batter Rinku Singh, saying that he is "coming off age" and knows his strengths well. Rohit's record-breaking fifth T20I century and half-centuries by Afghanistan top order batters Rahmanullah Gurbaz, skipper Ibrahim Zadran and Gulbadin Naib could not separate both sides as Men in Blue beat a spirited Afghan side in the second over at Bengaluru.

India vs Afghanistan: Rohit Sharma Makes History, Becomes 1st Batter Ever To Achieve Massive T20I Feat

It was a sensational batting display from Indian cricket team skipper Rohit Sharma as he slammed a brilliant century in the third T20I encounter against Afghanistan in Bengaluru on Wednesday. This was the fifth T20I century for Rohit and he became the first batter ever to achieve the feat in the shortest format of the game. Rohit remained unbeaten on 121 off 69 deliveries with the help of 11 fours and 8 sixes. Thanks to his phenomenal innings, Rohit also surpassed Virat Kohli's tally to become the Indian cricket team skipper with the most runs in T20I cricket. Kohli held the record previously with 1570 runs as captain.