"He should be opening the batting with Rohit" - Brad Hogg feels Kolhi should be promoted up the order
Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg believes Virat Kohli is more suited to opening the innings in T20 cricket. The former Indian captain bats at the top of the order in franchise cricket, but plays at No.3 for the Indian national team.
The prospect of Kohli opening the innings alongside Rohit Sharma was considered during the build-up to the 2021 T20 World Cup. The pair opened the innings in the fifth T20I against England, registering 94 runs in nine overs. However, it ended up being a one-time experiment, as India went with the pairing of KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma for the tournament.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma is opening for India in this T20I match against England 😍💙
#INDvENG #INDvsEND https://t.co/xZr7SE0iBI
Virat Kohli confirms KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma will be opening in the T20 World Cup 2021.
Opining that the topic of Kohli opening the innings with Sharma should be revisited, Hogg said on his YouTube channel:
"For me, if you're going to have Kohli in the team, he should be opening the batting with Rohit. I'd like to have Shreyas Iyer coming in at No.3 and Pant at No.4. Have to try to get KL Rahul in there as well at some stage. If Pandya is fit, he and Jadeja can feature at No.6 and 7."
Regarding the bowling attack, Hogg said:
"I'd have Siraj, Bumrah and Shami are the quicks. Chahal will be the lead spinner. Suryakumar Yadav coming in at No.5. If Pandya is not fit, then Venkatesh Iyer coming in at No.6."
The return of Hardik Pandya from injury could improve the balance of the team. The Australian surfaces demand extra pace bowlers as well, which could see only one prominent spinner featuring in the playing XI.
"It is going to be very difficult to beat India at the T20 World Cup" - Brad Hogg
Despite having a formidable team, India failed to make it to the knockouts of the 2021 T20 World Cup. In a bid to avoid a repeat, the management has made significant strides regarding workload management and player rotation to assemble the best possible squad.
Noting the bouncy nature of the tracks being the only possible obstacle for India, Hogg said:
"It is going to be very difficult to beat India at the T20 World Cup. Depends on what venues India are going to be playing on, because that might determine their fate. If they end up having to play more on the bouncier surfaces, and who they play on those pitches, it could be a key factor. It's the only thing that is going to stop India from winning the T20 World Cup."
Hogg concluded:
"Other than that, I think they have got the team to beat Australia down here and any other team in Australian soil."
Australia will host the T20 World Cup later this year, for the first time since its inception. The nation was assigned to host the tournament in 2020. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic forced a change of schedule.