T20 World Cup: KL Rahul should open, probably got more ability than Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, says Gautam Gambhir

Virat Kohli should open the batting in the T20 World Cup, former India opener Gautam Gambhir has firmly backed KL Rahul to do the job, and said the out-of-form batter has "probably got more ability". Kohli's return to form in the Asia Cup, especially as an opener when he ended his long wait for a century with a 61-ball 122 against Afghanistan, fuelled debate whether he should be preferred over Rahul at the top in the next month's showpiece in Australia.

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On a busy day, chief selector Chetan Sharma and his colleagues, along with captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid, met virtually to also pick the 16-member India squads for the forthcoming T20I series at home against Australia (three matches beginning with the first on September 20 in Mohali)

"You know what happens in India? The moment someone starts doing very well, for example, when Virat Kohli scored a hundred in the last game, we all start forgetting what Rahul and Rohit have done over a long period of time," Gambhir said on Star Sports during a virtual press conference ahead of India's three-match T20I series against Australia. "When you talk about Kohli opening the batting, imagine what happens to KL Rahul... Imagine the amount of insecurity he (Rahul) must be feeling. Imagine if he gets a low score in the first game, there will be another debate on whether Kohli should open in the next game."

Returning from a long injury layoff post the IPL, Rahul is yet to hit the straps and has scored one half-century from seven innings. In the Asia Cup, he averaged 26.40, with 132 runs from five innings. But Gambhir, who mentored the Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL