Virender Sehwag shared his thoughts on Virat Kohli’s batting position in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Virat Kohli’s red-hot form in the IPL 2024 has sparked debate about his batting position in the upcoming T20 World Cup. While some experts, including former captain Sourav Ganguly, believe Kohli should open alongside Rohit Sharma, others disagree.
Legendary opener Virender Sehwag feels Kohli should remain at number 3. “If I were in that team, I wouldn’t send him to open. I’ll play him at 3. Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal will open, and Kohli will continue to bat at no.3. The middle-overs approach is his headache, he knows if there’s an early dismissal, he can take care of powerplays. If the wicket falls late, it’s the captain and the coach’s responsibility to tell him to keep the momentum intact. A player has to do this,” said Sehwag on Cricbuzz.
Sehwag compared the situation to Sachin Tendulkar’s decision to bat at number 4 in the 2007 World Cup. “Sachin Tendulkar also left his opening role to bat at no.4, and carried the momentum in that role. He batted at no.4 in the 2007 World Cup. Even he didn’t like to bat in the middle-order, but he had to do that for the team. If your team has two good openers and you are asked to bat at 3, you have to do that. You have to carry the momentum that the openers have set. I don’t think Virat Kohli will be too bothered,” suggested the former cricketer.
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With Kohli leading the IPL run-scorer’s chart, with 500 runs in 10 innings, the question of his batting position in the World Cup has sparked a frenzy in the cricket community. Sehwag’s comments advocating for stability at the top order, with Kohli continuing at number 3, offered a counterpoint to the calls for an opening partnership with Rohit Sharma.
Nevertheless, the 15-man squad will be announced soon, on May 1st, as India will kick off their World Cup campaign on June 5th against Ireland.
Last Updated on April 29, 2024
