3 reasons why Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are a better opening combination in T20Is
The Rohit Sharma-led Indian team have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead over England in the three-match T20I series following their 49-run triumph in the second contest.
After being asked to bat first at Edgbaston on Saturday, Ravindra Jadeja's unbeaten 46 ensured the visitors put up 170/8. The target proved far too much for England's liking, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah weaving their magic in the powerplay overs. The hosts were eventually bowled out for just 121 runs in 17 overs.
Another brilliant bowling display by India as they comfortably beat England by 49 runs in the second T20I 🔥🇮🇳
India take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series 🏆
#ENGvIND #CricketTwitter https://t.co/rkS9RDjqw7
One of the more fascinating takeaways from the contest was India's new opening combination. While it was largely expected that Virat Kohli would open the innings, Rishabh Pant walked out instead with skipper Rohit.
The visitors got off to a flyer as Pant looked in solid touch, taking a positive approach and scoring 26 off 15 balls. Rohit also played a quickfire knock of 31 off 20 deliveries. Kohli, on the other hand, wasn't able to grab his opportunity and perished for a solitary run after coming in at No.3.
With the T20 World Cup in Australia on the horizon, one wonders if this is the ideal combination that suits India's requirements. On that note, we look at three reasons as to why Rohit opening the batting with Kohli will suit the team a lot better.
#1 Packs experience at the top
There's a notion that your best batters must get the chance to face maximum deliveries in T20 cricket. Having the duo of Rohit and Kohli open the innings will ensure that India have their two most experienced batters taking charge from the word go.
In recent times, there has been new-found positive intent associated with the Indian batting approach. Rohit has led the way to that end and with the field restrictions in play, Kohli should enjoy the luxury of going after the seamers upfront.
At the end of the home series against England last year, then-skipper Kohli suggested that he would prefer to open the batting with Rohit. This could be the best opportunity for that desire to come to reality, notwithstanding KL Rahul's impending return from injury.
#2 Opens up the middle order to flexibility
As opposed to batting positions, entry points are a more sustainable and viable factor when it comes to exploiting favorable matchups.
India's middle order could feature Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik in the T20 World Cup later this year, making this all the more pivotal.
Pant can be moved up the order if the need to cash in on a shorter leg side boundary arises. Likewise with Suryakumar, it's hard to find a player with a more versatile range against spin than the Mumbaikar. Of course, both can be held back for slog overs as well, in case a blistering start warrants the need to push Pandya up the order.
With this flexibility proving a win-win for India, it only plays into their hands if they have the combination of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli walking out to open the innings.
#3 Kohli's struggle in the middle overs against spin
This has been a well-documented issue for a considerable period of time now. So much so that it dates back to a time when Kohli's form wasn't a matter of concern either.
Both IPL and international teams have consistently reverted to spin in the middle overs as a means to stifle the former Indian skipper. With the likes of Suryakumar and Pant showing better attacking instincts against that type of bowling in recent times, it makes a good case for Kohli to be used in the powerplay overs instead.
After all, he remains one of the better players of quality pace bowling, a factor that will remain pivotal in Australia later this year. With Rohit having a documented susceptibility to left-arm swing, Kohli opening the batting with him could aid in nullifying that threat given that he's better-equipped against the same.