Aakash Chopra says Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma should open in T20 World Cup

Former India opener turned commentator Aakash Chopra has backed Parthiv Patel’s views that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma should open for India in the 2024 T20 World Cup. However, Shubman Gill opened the innings with Rohit Sharma in India’s six-wicket win in the first T20I against Afghanistan in Mohali on Thursday, January 11 as well. While Kohli wasn’t available for the opening game, Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was supposed to open with Rohit, was ruled out due to a sore right groin as well.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said: “Parthiv Patel said a very good thing. He said Virat (Kohli) and Rohit (Sharma) should open. I said it’s not a bad idea. They should open because you want Virat to play in the powerplay. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma should play the first six overs. They are the heart and heartbeat of Indian cricket. It’s like Ronaldo and Messi playing together – what can be better than that? From that standpoint, I liked it a lot, do it.”

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Virat Kohli has opened for India in nine T20Is. However, he has batted at the top of the order only twice since 2021, scoring an unbeaten 80 against England in the 2021 home series and an unbeaten 122 vs Afghanistan in the 2022 T20 Asia Cup as well. And, Aakash Chopra said that Virat Kohli opening the batting will allow Suryakumar Yadav to bat at No. 3 as well.

“If that happens, you will be able to play Surya (Suryakumar Yadav) at No. 3, or else you won’t be able to play Surya at No. 3 because Virat Kohli will play at No. 3,” Aakash Chopra concluded. “Let’s assume you get Yashasvi (Jaiswal) to open. Then Kohli at No. 3, Surya at No. 4, Rinku (Singh) at No. 5 and Hardik (Pandya) at No. 6. Then who will keep wickets? So you are stuck. So you will ask Rohit and Kohli to open. I am with Parthiv Patel. I liked what he said.”