'Team needs to revolve around him. He can open, bat at No. 3 or 4... ': Gavaskar on India star's role in Asia Cup 2022

Former India player Rohan Gavaskar feels the team should revolve around the in-form batter in the 20-over format, further adding that he shouldn't be "slotted" in a specific position.

Virat Kohli and KL Rahul will return to India's T20 squad for the much-awaited Asia Cup, which begins this month with a showdown against arch-rivals Pakistan. While Kohli faces a nightmarish batting slump, Rahul plays for the first time since the IPL after grappling with Covid-19 and injury. The team management may have tried multiple combinations for the top-3 bracket but the arrival of both players creates a happy selection headache for India.

Dinesh Karthik, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant

Suryakumar Yadav, meanwhile, has enjoyed a stellar run irrespective of the batting spot. The right-handed batter has put up impressive performances at the No.3 or No. 4 and revelled in his new role of opener as well. But does he enter India's top-3 in the Asia Cup too?

Former India player Rohan Gavaskar feels the team should revolve around Suryakumar in the 20-over format, further adding that he shouldn't be "slotted" in a specific position.

"You said you can slot Surya at No. 4. I disagree there, Surya doesn't need to be slotted anywhere. I think this T20 team needs to revolve around Surya. You have got to figure out where is the best you can get out of him, is it at the top of the order, or No. 3 or No. 4, you put him there then," said Gavaskar on Sports 18 when former national selector Saba Karim backed Suryakumar or Dinesh Karthik for the No. 4 spot.

On Rishabh Pant's batting at the No. 4 spot, Gavaskar said, "There are certain slots in that batting order which might be non-negotiable in terms of Dinesh Karthik being a finisher towards the end, Rohit Sharma opening the batting. But everything else is up for grabs."

"As I said, Suryakumar Yadav can open, can bat at No. 3 or No. 4. Rishabh Pant can also be a floater depending on how many overs are left when wickets fall. In T20 cricket, it's not so much about No. 3 or No. 4, it's about how many overs are left and you send players accordingly out there."

Junior Gavaskar also heaped praise on Pant, describing the maverick stumper as a once-in-a-generation player who needs to be in India's eleven.

"Where Rishabh Pant is concerned, he is a once-in-a-generation cricketer. It doesn't matter if he is left-handed or right-handed, if you have got a player of that kind of match-winning ability, that kind of talent, you pick him, it's a no-brainer," he said.