Former skipper Sourav Ganguly feels that it will be crucial for India if Virat Kohli plays with the same freedom in the T20 World Cup as he did in the IPL this year and advises that he should open the innings alongside skipper Rohit Sharma. Kohli was the highest run-getter in IPL 2024 and played aggressively in the middle over to silence his critics.
The RCB star scored 741 runs in 15 matches and displayed consistency with an average of 61.75. However, it was the strike rate 154.70 - his best ever in an IPL season, was the standout feature of his batting. At the start season, Kohli was criticised for his strike rate in the middle overs against spinners, but he made a massive turnaround and up the ante in the second half by adding shots like slog sweep and a few more to his arsenal against the spinners.
Former BCCI president Ganguly asserted that if Team India is to do well in the T20 WC, Kohli needs to bat with freedom at the top of the order.
"I would open with Virat and Rohit. I want Virat to bat the way he did for RCB in the second half of the IPL. He has to bat with freedom. Needless to say, he is a great player, but for India to do well, Virat will have to bat with freedom like he did in the IPL. So my choice would be Virat and Rohit at the top of the order," Ganguly told Revsportz.
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{{/usCountry}}"I would open with Virat and Rohit. I want Virat to bat the way he did for RCB in the second half of the IPL. He has to bat with freedom. Needless to say, he is a great player, but for India to do well, Virat will have to bat with freedom like he did in the IPL. So my choice would be Virat and Rohit at the top of the order," Ganguly told Revsportz.
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You can never rule out India: Sourav Ganguly
The Men in Blue will begin their T20 WC campaign on June 5 against Ireland at the newly constructed Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York. They will next face arch-rivals Pakistan on June 9 at the same venue, followed by matches against co-hosts USA and Canada in Group A.
Ganguly also backed Rohit and Co. to go all the way in the tournament and pointed out a few things which may work in their favour in New York, USA.
"Absolutely, I do. The team has a number of quality players and are going into the tournament on the back of some serious T20 cricket in the form of the IPL. That should help them in New York. What will also go in their favour are the bigger grounds, and it will help our spinners, for example. In a World Cup, you can never rule out India just because of the simple reason there is a lot of quality in the team," Ganguly added.