Virat Kohli roared back to form at the recently concluded Asia Cup 2022 in UAE where he peeled off his maiden T20I century to go with two successive fifties. Kohli’s hundred, a an unbeaten 122, came in India’s final match of the tournament, and that too as an opener in the absence of rested Rohit Sharma.
That gave rise to a debate on whether Kohli should open for India in T20Is with the world cup in mind. The proponents of his promotion in the batting order cite the indifferent form of KL Rahul since his return international cricket.
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However, former India opener Gautam Gambhir has shot down the suggestion.
He says people are forgetting how Rahul and Rohit for that matter have contributed in the past since Kohli’s return to form. And that he thinks might end up hurting Rahul’s confidence.
“You know what happens in India? The moment someone starts doing very well -for example, when Virat Kohli scored a hundred in the last game, we all start forgetting what Rahul and Rohit have done over a long period of time,” Gambhir said on Star Sports.
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He added, “When you talk about Kohli opening the batting, imagine what happens to KL Rahul? Imagine the amount of insecurity he must be feeling. Imagine if he gets a low score in the first game, there will be another debate on whether Kohli should open in the next game.”
Gambhir claimed that Rahul has more ability that Rohit and Kohli and by suggesting that his position as opener is under threat, it’s only going to impact his mental state.
“You don’t want your top class players in that position, especially KL Rahul who has probably got more ability than Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli. Imagine KL Rahul going into the World Cup thinking, ‘what if I don’t score runs against Pakistan? What if I get replaced by Virat Kohli?’ You don’t want that,” he said.
In the run up to the T20 World Cup that starts next month, India will play three T20Is at home, three each against Australia and South Africa.
Gambhir says there’s no need to entertain the question of Kohli replacing Rahul or Rohit as opener and wants the focus on the team rather than individuals.
“….we shouldn’t entertain that question. Think from India’s point of view. Think from KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma’s point of view. Well, Rohit is the captain right now. Imagine if he was not the captain, what would he have felt? Everything falls down on KL Rahul. We should start thinking about how India can flourish, rather than certain individuals,” he said.
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