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Who will be Rohit's opening partner in 2nd AFG T20I? Kohli's return sparks debate between ex-IND stars
Virat Kohli's return has sparked a debate between former India stars ahead of the 2nd T20I against Afghanistan in Indore.
Comeback man Virat Kohli is set to give selection headaches to Rahul Dravid and Co. as the former India skipper has re-joined the India squad for the Afghanistan T20I series on Saturday. For personal reasons, Kohli was unavailable for the series opener against the Rashid Khan-less side. Confirming his absence in the traditional press conference, head coach Dravid said that youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal will open the innings with skipper Rohit Sharma in the 1st T20I at Mohali.
However, skipper Rohit Sharma revealed that India are without Jaiswal for the series opener as the batter had a sore right groin. Thus, skipper Rohit opened the innings with Shubman Gill in the 1st T20I, although the veteran opener had a forgetful return to the shortest format. Rohit was dismissed for a duck in the series opener that Kohli-less Team India won by six wickets to take a 1-0 lead over Afghanistan.
‘Kohli’s contribution as an opener has been immense’
With Kohli set to return to the Indian XI, former cricketer Parthiv Patel backed the former India skipper to open the innings with skipper Rohit. Kohli last played a T20I for India at the 2022 edition of the T20 World Cup. Kohli-starrer India were outplayed by England in the semi-finals at the time. "Virat Kohli’s contribution as an opener has been immense. Whenever he has played as an opener for India in T20 cricket, he has scored a lot of runs. He can set the tone of the innings. If he gets an opportunity to face those 120 balls, he can create that chance to get big runs," Parthiv told JioCinema ahead of the series decider in Indore.
‘Rohit Sharma is backing Virat Kohli’
Former India cricketer Saba Karim differed from his contemporary as the cricket pundit wanted Kohli to bat at the No.3 position. The leading run-getter in the history of the shortest format, Kohli scored 50 off 40 balls in his last T20I match. "I am looking at Virat Kohli at No. 3, keeping in mind that the T20 World Cup is to be played in the West Indies and the USA. In the West Indies, India will be playing on slow wickets in the Super 8s. There you need someone who can control the entire innings. I think Rohit Sharma is backing Virat Kohli to play that role there," Karim added.
