"Are we just adding to the confusion?"- Aakash Chopra on Virat Kohli opening with Rohit Sharma in T20 World Cup
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra feels the thought of Virat Kohli opening with Rohit Sharma in the T20 World Cup could only cause more confusion within the Indian team. The Men in Blue have already tried eight different openers in T20Is including Kohli and Rohit in the past 12 months.
The sports pundit spoke at length about how clarity of role is important for players in T20Is. Each player has a different role to perform depending upon the situation in the match- be it with the bat or the ball.
Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said the following on India's frequent changes at the top of the order in T20Is, especially this year:
"There is a debate about whether Virat and Rohit should open. We were like, 'Wow, it will be fun'. But is that really fun, or are we just adding to the confusion? Defining a role in T20Is is almost as critical as Test cricket. You need specialist openers, specialist finishers, and someone who could hustle in the middle-order."
Chopra further gave the example of how just one bad game in the last T20 World Cup prompted India to change their opening combination, leading to Rohit batting at No.3. He added:
"Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul were your openers in last year's T20 World Cup. Rohit and Rahul were consistent and also did well in the warm-up games. But they both failed in the first game against Pakistan and then India wanted a left-right combination. So they pushed Rohit to No.3 which was something I honestly didn't think would happen."
Will be very disappointed if India lose faith in Ishan Kishan: Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra feels among all the opening partners that the Men in Blue have tried besides Rohit, Ishan Kishan has been the most consistent. In the 13 T20Is that he has played this year, the southpaw has scored 419 runs at an impressive strike rate of 132.17, averaging 32.23.
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Despite good performances against South Africa, Kishan played just one T20I against England and was replaced by Rishabh Pant at the top for the final two games of the series. Even in the first T20I against West Indies, the visitors preferred Suryakumar Yadav over the youngster.
On this, Aakash Chopra stated:
"Ishan Kishan is the opener who has played the most games this year with 13 to his name. With a strike rate of 132 and an average of 32, he has done alright. India had a chance to play him recently, but they didn't. So are we losing faith in him? If that happens, I will be disappointed. It is very difficult to remain consistent in this format so you need to back him to play freely. He should be a front-runner for that third opener spot. But is he? I don't know."
With the T20 World knocking on the door, India need to ensure that they play a settled opening combination for as many games as possible to prevent any slip-ups at the top of the order.