T20 World Cup 2022: "Can only play the left-hander if you open with Virat and Rohit" - Parthiv Patel leaves KL Rahul out of his Team India XI
Former Indian cricketer Parthiv Patel wants Virat Kohli to open alongside Rohit Sharma for Team India in the 2022 T20 World Cup.
Kohli has shown exactly what he is capable of at the top of the order after smashing four hundreds in the IPL 2016 season. The former Indian captain also brought up his much-awaited 71st international hundred while batting at the top of the order against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup.
Moreover, Patel is a bit worried about Rahul's inconsistent form. With Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya almost undroppable, Patel feels if Team India want to play the left-handed Rishabh Pant in the middle order, they will have to take the tough decision of leaving out Rahul.
In a video on his YouTube channel on Friday, Patel cited Ravindra Jadeja's innings at No. 4 against Pakistan in the Asia Cup group stage to explain the importance of a left-hander in the middle order. He said:
"I feel Virat Kohli should open with Rohit Sharma because his performance is simply brilliant at the top. KL Rahul's form has been up and down and you can only play the left-hander if you open with Virat and Rohit.
"If you play all three of them, then you have to leave out one between Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik. Ravindra Jadeja batted up the order against Pakistan and changed the game."
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Patel also feels that the Men in Blue cannot afford to drop Dinesh Karthik since he is their designated finisher:
"Dinesh Karthik has also shown what he is capable of in some games. But I won't be worried about his inconsistency since he showed what he can do in the 16 games that he played in the IPL and whether he bats No. 6 or No. 7 is not an issue because he is the designated finisher."
Mohammed Shami would have been handy for Team India in Australian conditions: Parthiv Patel
The only cause of worry for Parthiv Patel with respect to the Indian team is the exclusion of Mohammed Shami from the main squad. Although the veteran pacer hasn't played T20I cricket since last year's World Cup, Patel believes he would have been handy in the conditions Down Under.
On this, the former wicketkeeper stated:
"I feel Mohammed Shami would have been handy in Australian conditions because he would have utilized the pace and bounce on offer. Whether his services will be missed or not will be known only once the World Cup starts."
Will the Men in Blue miss Mohammed Shami's presence Down Under? Let us know in the comments.