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'It's obviously something that Virat wants to do': Gavaskar identifies Kohli's batting position prior to T20 World Cup
Virat Kohli shrugged off his extended dry run with the bat to score two successive half-centuries and then an unbeaten ton in the just-concluded T20 Asia Cup.
Virat Kohli notched up his first international century since November 2019 with a maiden T20 ton for India to drive the team's 101-run thrashing of Afghanistan in the recently-concluded Asia Cup 2022. The star batter's 71st international ton came after a gap of 1020 days, as he registered his third 50-plus score in the six-team tournament, which served as a tune-up to next month's World T20 in Australia.
Kohli ended the Asia Cup with an impressive 276 runs in five innings and a strike rate of 147.59 and his three-figure score came while opening the innings alongside KL Rahul, as captain Rohit Sharma had been rested versus Afghanistan. But it remains to be seen whether Kohli will play a similar role at the T20 showpiece event, in which India begin with a blockbuster clash against Pakistan.
Former India batter Rohan Gavaskar feels Kohli should open the innings, though he explained how leaving KL Rahul makes it 'tricky' for the team management. Also, India currently have in-form Suryakumar Yadav, who is flexible enough to bat at any position with his 360-degree strokeplay.
“Look, in terms of should Virat be opening, I think it's a great option. You look at his T20 numbers, they are outstanding. He averages about 55-57 and his strike rate is about 160. Those are phenomenal numbers. His last innings, again unbeaten innings of 122, tells you that he probably relishes opening as well. If memory serves me right, he wanted to open or he said he wanted to open in the Indian T20 league in this edition or the last edition, he said that's the spot I want to be. So, it's obviously something that he wants to do. So, it's definitely a big option for the Indian team," said Rohan Gavaskar on SPORTS18's daily sports news show ‘SPORTS OVER THE TOP'.
“It does open up those options and you're right, SKY batting at number 3 it's a pleasing thought. But I have to say if Virat opens, he showed what a tremendous success he is as an opener. It means one of my favourite players will have to make way which is KL Rahul. Because KL Rahul, I've said this before, he's an absolute class act. So look, it's one of those tricky sorts of situations but SKY at number 3, I think that's what we want. His numbers you know and as rightly said, he's one of the best batters in T20," he added.
Kohli shrugged off his extended dry run with the bat to score two successive half-centuries and then an unbeaten ton. Gavaskar explained the significance of scoring a hundred and recalled Kohli's impressive run with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2016 IPL, where he scored four centuries in a single season. He also spoke about the former India skipper “peaking at the right time”.
“With all due respect, you're talking to someone who has never scored a hundred. You ask any cricketer, doesn't matter what level you play on, a hundred is a hundred. And this was an international hundred. Whether you score a hundred at a club level, whether you score a hundred at first-class level, it doesn't matter.
"A hundred is a hundred. And this, at the end of the day, was an international hundred. So, I don't bind to these theories of a weakened opposition. No. It was an excellent hundred and that's what it was. Forget about the weakened opposition, it was an international hundred," said Gavaskar.
“When you say lethal, he was back to the Virat that we know. Back to the Virat, that 2016 Virat, an unbelievable run-scoring machine that he was in T20. So, he looked to be in that kind of form, which is great because he's peaking at the right time. With the big one, the world cup coming up, what you want is your players to peak at the right time and seems like he's speaking at the right time," he added.
