T20 World Cup 2024: When Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir opened together for India in T20I cricket

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T20 World Cup 2024: Virat Kohli in all probability is set to open with Rohit Sharma in the T20 World Cup 2024 and that has left the entire cricket community excited.

India's best possible way to make the maximum use of Kohli in T20I format is as an opener. He scored 741 runs at a strike rate in excess of 150 to win the Orange Cap in 2024. The batter looked in a different avatar and also brought out the slog sweep to reinvent himself as a T20I batter.

The team management now want him to make the maximum use of the powerplay restrictions, and help India end their 11-year-old drought for an ICC title.

Virat Kohli has a hundred and two fifties from nine T20I outings as an opener. He has scored 400 runs at an average of 57.14 and a strike rate of 161.29.

When Virat Kohli opened with Gautam Gambhir

Early in his career, Virat Kohli also opened with Gautam Gambhir once. The two Delhi batters came out to open against New Zealand in a T20I match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on September 11, 2012.

New Zealand scored 167/5 after being asked to bat first. Kohli and Gambhir walked out to open for India to partner only for 26 runs off 18 balls. Gambhir was out caught and bowled by Kyle Mills.

But Virat Kohli remained solid at the other end and stitched a 60-run partnership with Suresh Raina (27). Kohli kept the ante up despite Raina's departure in the 11th over. He scored 70 runs off just 41 balls before departing on the first ball of the 14th over.

His innings consisted of 10 fours and a six. India lost the plot after his departure and ended up falling one run short of the target. India also ended up losing the 2-match series. MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, who walked in at six, remained unbeaten on 22 and four in the match.