T20 World Cup 2021: "Things were different before the IPL" - Virat Kohli reveals his batting position for the ICC event
Team India captain Virat Kohli recently indicated that he will not open the batting in the 2021 T20 World Cup. The champion batter will instead walk in to bat at the No. 3 position, with the in-form KL Rahul opening alongside Rohit Sharma.
The right-hander confirmed the same during the toss ahead of India's first warm-up fixture against England. He mentioned that while things were different before the latest edition of the Indian Premier League, KL Rahul's form cannot be disregarded as he has been in fabulous touch.
Kohli said:
"We are pretty sorted in terms of how we are going to start in the first game. Outside of that, we just want to give an opportunity to guys in these games as much as possible. We will look to give game-time to most of them. Things were different before the IPL."
Kohli added:
"Now it's difficult to look beyond KL Rahul at the top of the order. Rohit is a no-brainer. A world-class player, he's been solid up front. I will be batting at No. 3. That's the only news I can give to start off."
Virat Kohli bats regularly at the No. 3 position in ODI cricket for the Indian team. However, he has on several occasions mentioned that he prefers to play as an opener in the shortest format. Kohli was expected to open the batting with Rohit Sharma in this year's showpiece event as well.
However, due to KL Rahul's exemplary batting at the top of the order in IPL, the Indian skipper has opted to bat at No. 3.
Hello & welcome from Dubai for #TeamIndia's first warm-up game against England 👋
🚨 Toss Update 🚨
India have won the toss and elected to bowl.
#INDvENG #T20WorldCup https://t.co/pxeCNoGj2C
Click here to find out who is the leading run scorer in T20 World Cup 2021.
India and England are set to lock horns in their first warm-up match of the tournament at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai. Virat Kohli won the toss and has elected to bowl first.
KL Rahul set the stage ablaze in IPL 2021
The Punjab Kings captain showcased spectacular form in the latest edition of the cash-rich league. Rahul took the opposition bowlers to the cleaners regularly and finished as the most prolific run-scorer for Punjab in IPL 2021.
The elegant batsman went on to amass 635 runs from just 13 games in the competition this year. He dazzled viewers by smashing six stunning half-centuries. KL Rahul had a fantastic batting average of 62.20 and an impressive strike rate of 138.80 in IPL 2021.