IPL 2020: "We won’t actually be telling anybody until our first team is announced": Mike Hesson on rumours Virat Kohli and Aaron Finch will open the batting for RCB
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) director of cricket operations Mike Hesson hinted that captain Virat Kohli and Aaron Finch might open the batting together when IPL 2020 gets underway on September 19.
The revelations were made in an interview with Danish Sait, the video of which has been released on social media. Upon being asked about the rumours that are doing the rounds about Indian captain Virat Kohli opening the batting in IPL 2020, Hesson said:
“Well, it’s really interesting because I did couple of hours of press conferences yesterday and never talked about Virat batting or where Aaron Finch is going to bat. And, apparently they are both opening the batting together.”
Hesson, who was the former head coach of New Zealand, added that an official announcement will not be made until the team sheet for the first match of IPL 2020 is ready. Till then, the fans and the other seven IPL franchises will have to wait.
“We won’t actually be telling anybody until our first team is announced, exactly what our line-up is because that is our strategy. We are gonna wanna keep some of that up our sleeve, in terms of [the] way we use players...we are well aware of what we want, but we also want to keep our opposition guessing as well,” concluded Hesson.
Opener Virat Kohli wreaked havoc in IPL 2016
The concept of Virat Kohli opening the batting in T20 cricket became a viable option in IPL 2016. Batting as an opener throughout the tournament, Virat Kohli scored 973 runs in 16 matches and almost single-handedly guided RCB to finish runners-up. Not only did he rack up the most runs in a single IPL season, but he also hit four hundreds in that particular edition.
Interestingly, Virat Kohli opened the batting on his international debut against Sri Lanka in Dambulla 12 years ago. He was trapped lbw after a 22-ball 12.