T20 World Cup 2024: Former Selector Explains Why Virat Kohli Should Open The Batting For India

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Former selector Sarandeep Singh has explained why Virat Kohli should open alongside Rohit Sharma at the T20 World Cup 2024, which is being held in the United States and Caribbean.

India will start their T20 World Cup 2024 group stage campaign against Ireland on Wednesday (June 5) at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.

While they have been labelled as favourites, there has been much chatter around who should open the batting for India with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal being selected for the role.

Kohli had brilliant Indian Premier League (IPL) season 2024, where he won the Orange Cap after scoring 741 runs in 15 matches at an average of 61.75 and a strike rate of over 154, with a century and five fifties. His best score of 113*.

Meanwhile, Rohit and Jaiswal, who both scored centuries in IPL 2024, had a mixed season. Rohit is likely to open the batting, but who will partner him out in the middle is still undecided.

With Jaiswal not coming into the tournament in great form, Singh said that star batter Kohli should open for India in the T20 World Cup alongside Rohit as he can score swiftly in the powerplay and bat deep.

"I have been saying this for a long time now that Virat Kohli should open with Rohit Sharma because Yashasvi is not in the best of form. So, you should not be in two minds on whether to play right and left combination when Yashasvi is not in form," Sarandeep told ANI.

"You should play Virat Kohli as an opener because he can play the anchor role. He can score runs with a good strike rate in the first six overs and can bat till the end."

Singh also felt Kohli playing as an opener could add more balance to the team as India can afford to play an extra pacer or spinner with the likes of Suryakumar Yadav getting a chance to bat up the order.

"So, Virat can open and Suryakumar Yadav can bat up the order and then you can make way for Shivam Dube who can bat at number four. Rishabh Pant at five, Hardik Pandya at six, Jadeja at 7, Kuldeep at 8," Sarandeep said on India batting order.

"At number nine you can play Jasprit Bumrah who is a surety and then Arshdeep Singh the left-arm pacer who can swing the ball well and bowl wicket-taking deliveries. All this can make a perfect playing eleven. So, you can add a fast bowler or maybe Axar Patel."