The entire excitement around India’s opening combo in the 2021 T20 World Cup has been resolved, with captain Virat Kohli confirming Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul would begin the play for Team India in the prestigious competition. For the curious, Kohli stated during this year’s T20I series versus England that he will start India’s innings in the T20 World Cup with Rohit.
I will be batting at No.3: Virat Kohli
KL Rahul, on the other hand, had a spectacular run in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, prompting Kohli to reconsider his choice. Furthermore, Kohli provided a big update during the toss session of India’s warm-up match against England at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai. The Indian captain confessed that he had intended to start the innings. But, Rahul’s exploits in the IPL caused him to reconsider his choice.
“Things were different before IPL, now it’s difficult to look beyond KL Rahul at the top of the order. Rohit is a no-brainer. World-class player, he’s been solid upfront. I will be batting at 3. That’s the only news I can give to start off,” Kohli said during the toss. Several people were not surprised by the decision in considering Rahul, despite heading Punjab kings, scored a lot of runs in the recently finished tournament.
Adaptability is what matters: Kohli
He scored 626 runs in 13 games, with an avg of 62.6 and a strike rate of 138.80. These figures are nothing short of spectacular, therefore the team’s management opted to place Rahul at the top. Likewise, Kohli and Rohit Sharma did not do well in this year’s IPL.
The Indian captain and his deputy, both known for their exceptional consistency, amassed 405 and 381 runs, respectively, with an average of less than 30. Nonetheless, the experienced duo hopes to regain their confidence by shining in the warm-up games. Furthermore, Kohli stated that India’s lineup for their first encounter versus Pakistan on October 24 is almost finalized.
“Adaptability is what matters. People play different roles in their IPL teams. It’s about adapting quickly to this team now, who plays where is what matters. We are pretty sorted in terms of how we are going to start in the first game,” Kohli said.
