KL Rahul to open, Virat a ‘definite’ option, Bishnoi unfortunate to miss out: Rohit Sharma
KL Rahul to open, Virat a ‘definite’ option, Bishnoi unfortunate to miss out: Rohit SharmaOn Sunday, India’s captain Rohit Sharma announced that Virat Kohli would serve as the team’s backup opener at the T20 World Cup, with KL Rahul opening the innings alongside him.
He went on to say that Ravi Bishnoi, a leg-spinner, was left out in the cold because he preferred R Ashwin, who brings a new dimension to the team’s overall balance.
KL to open
Rohit has defended his deputy, who has been criticized for being a slow scorer in T20s, saying that his contributions to the squad over the past two to three years have been underappreciated.
At the Twenty20 World Cup, KL Rahul will be leading off for India. This is not a position we plan to try out frequently. In most cases, nobody even notices when he performs. Rohit told media in Mohali, ahead of the first T20I, that “he is a very crucial player for India.”
If you look over the last two or three years, his performance has been excellent. I want it to be quite clear to everyone that we are completely on the same page with this. No ambiguity exists.”
In contrast to Rohit’s unshakeable confidence in KL, the evidence is mixed. In the last 20 games he’s played, KL Rahul has scored 547 runs at a strike rate of 128.40, which is much lower than his lifetime strike rate of 140.91.
Virat back-up opener
The question of who should open with Rohit has been hotly debated ever since Kohli made a century in the Asia Cup. However, India’s leader has now stated categorically that Virat Kohli will play the role of third opener.
You want to have some leeway in your strategy before entering a major tournament like the Twenty20 World Cup. If we don’t select the third opener, he can start,” Rohit added.
It’s his opening night for the franchise he represents, and he’s done remarkably well thus far. It’s something we’re seriously considering.
While batting first for India in the Asia Cup, Virat Kohli scored his first international hundred in nearly three years, against Afghanistan.
I discussed this with Rahul Dravid, and we may need to open with Virat in a few games. We saw that in the last match, and it made us very happy,” Rohit remarked.
Ashwin over Bishnoi
Rohit Sharma insisted that he was never satisfied with a one-dimensional attack. Because of his desire to include an off-spinner in the squad and his admiration for Ashwin’s batting, Ravi Bishnoi was passed up in favour of R Ashwin.
A left-arm spinner, a leg-spinner, and an off-spinner were all things I was looking for. Bishnoi came so near, it’s a shame he didn’t quite make it. Having a diverse group of people working together is more valuable than having everyone do the same thing, therefore I decided against it,” Rohit explained.
When in his groove, Yuzvendra Chahal is devastating to the competition. Axar was always going to be a part of the strategy; without Ravindra Jadeja, we desperately needed another all-around alternative.
For us, the choice was always going to come down to Axar and Jadeja, each of whom is a three-stage bowler (can bowl in the powerplay, in the middle overs, and then in the 17th or 18th overs).
From the beginning, it was made abundantly evident that Axar is the man for the job.
Ravichandran Ashwin’s new pitching variations will help him succeed against right-handed batters. I’ve also been quite impressed with his batting, and having him on the club has helped strengthen our lineup.