'RCB have won just one game but Orange Cap on his head': Anjum Chopra backs Virat Kohli to open in T20 World Cup

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T20 World Cup 2024: Days ahead of Team India's squad announcement for the T20 World Cup 2024, Anjum Chopra has backed Virat Kohli to open in the ICC showpiece event, saying that the right-hand batter is wearing the IPL 2024 Orange Cap despite his team Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) winning just one game.

In a recent chat with MyKhel.com, the former India captain was asked if Virat Kohli should open at the T20 World Cup 2024 which start from June 2. Anjum Chopra said it was a no-brainer to send Kohli out for batting right at the top.

"Ya, why not! He will open only, why would he bat down. You have to send him right at the top. The Orange Cap in IPL 2024 is on his head. The team has won one match, but Orange Cap is on his head. The team isn't losing because of him. What would he do if other are not performing," Anjum Chopra told MyKhel.com.

The 46-year-old agreed that strike rates are not the only things which matters in the big ICC events like the T20 World Cup. She also recalled Kohli's 2023 ODI World Cup campaign in which he finished as the leading run-scorer, accumulating 765 runs at an average of 95.62 and a strike rate of 90.31.

"You look at the ODI World Cup, it was he who scored runs. You can expect a player to score runs, and he is doing that," Anjum said about Kohli who is the leading run-scorer in the ongoing IPL 2024 as well. He has scored 379 runs in eight matches at an average of 63.16 and a strike rate of 150.39.

The BCCI selection committee is likely to announce the squad by Monday, April 29. As per reports, Rohit Sharma and Ajit Agarkar would sit together for a meeting after Mumbai Indians' (MI) match against Delhi Capitals (DC) in Delhi on Saturday, April 27. The ICC deadline to announce the squad is May 1.