Who Should Open With Rohit in the world cup?: India showed a lot of faith in KL Rahul. He was coming off from a long injury forced layoff. Rahul played in the Asia Cup but looked tentative right throughout. He had one good game against South Africa amidst a series of bilaterals.
Rahul started strongly in the warmup against Australia. The team management chose to stick with him as the first-choice opener for the T20 World Cup. But two successive failures have led to people questioning his spot as an opener on the side.
We Look at Opening Options to Partner Who Should Open With Rohit Sharma:
#4 Deepak Hooda
He is certainly an out-of-box option to walk in as an opener. But there is a lot of merit in him being asked to open the innings. Deepak Hooda has impressive numbers batting at the top of the order. He scored a century in Ireland against the home side. Hooda is strong against spin too.
He is someone who can get off the blocks easily. His strength is peppering the square boundaries. The Australian wickets will suit his style of play. If Hooda comes into the XI, he offers an extra bowling option which is a luxury in this format.
#3 Suryakumar Yadav
He opened the innings for India in the tour to West Indies with great results. Suryakumar Yadav’s ability to judge a wicket quickly makes him unique. In testing Australian conditions, a batter who is able to get going early is of great value. Yadav has no perceivable weakness against both pace and spin.
He can help India wrest the early momentum in a big game. Yadav has finished games for India batting in the middle order. Hence the management might just be a wee bit wary to try him out as an opener.
#2 Virat Kohli
He brought up his maiden T20I century as an opener in Asia Cup 2022. Rohit Sharma conceded that Virat Kohli will be India’s second opener if the team chooses to play him ahead of Rahul. It was quite clear at that point that Kohli will step in as the opener if the need arises.
Kohli’s form has gotten better with every passing game since his comeback in the Asia Cup. He can set the tempo for the side if he opens. Kohli can hold one end allowing the power hitters to express themselves. But will India want a fired-up Kohli at number 3 or as an opener is the question the team needs to answer?
#1 Rishabh Pant
He is the most natural choice who can slot in as an opener. There have been plenty of experts who believe Rishabh Pant can bring in X-factor as an opener. Pant’s T20I numbers as compared to his IPL career have been below par. It is largely down to him not having a clearly defined role in T20Is. He can turn around a leaf if he is tasked with opening duties. Pant can bring in the much-needed left-handedness to India’s right-hand heavy top-order.
It remains to be seen if the team persists with Rahul or opts for a welcome change.
