Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir has backed Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul to open the innings in the T20I World Cup and he has dismissed any chance of Virat Kohli getting a promotion in the batting order. Kohli recently scored a fine knock of 122 runs off just 61 balls while opening the innings against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup, prompting the question of whether he should open the innings with Rohit Sharma.
On the other hand, KL Rahul hasn’t looked at his best since he made his return to International cricket. Rahul could only score 31 runs in two ODI innings against Zimbabwe and then didn’t have the best run in the Asia Cup. The flamboyant batter though scored a decent knock of 61 runs in the final game against Afghanistan while opening the innings with Virat Kohli.
“You know what happens in India? The moment someone starts doing very well… for example, when Virat Kohli scored a hundred in the last game, we all start forgetting what Rahul and Rohit have done over a long period of time,” Gambhir said on Star Sports during a virtual press conference.
“When you talk about Kohli opening the batting, imagine what happens to KL Rahul? Imagine the amount of insecurity he must be feeling. Imagine if he gets a low score in the first game, there will be another debate on whether Kohli should open in the next game.
Gautam Gambhir stated that we should not forget Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul have done a fine job while opening the innings for the Indian team in the shortest format of the game. Former Delhi player added Rahul could feel insecure if the talks of Virat Kohli opening the innings take fire.
“You don’t want your top-class players in that position, especially KL Rahul who has probably got more ability than Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli. Imagine KL Rahul going into the World Cup thinking, ‘what if I don’t score runs against Pakistan? What if I get replaced by Virat Kohli?’ You don’t want that.”
“That’s the reason we shouldn’t entertain that question. Think from India’s point of view. Think from KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma’s point of view. Well, Rohit is the captain right now. Imagine if he was not the captain, what would he have felt? Everything falls down on KL Rahul. We should start thinking about how India can flourish, rather than certain individuals.”
India’s top three – Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli – are going to hold the key for the team as they have all the experience under their belt.
