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Cricket Players'If you're going to have Kohli in the team...': Former Australia bowler picks Virat's batting spot in T20Is
Shreyas Iyer on Sunday expressed his desire to bat at the No. 3 spot, the place which is normally reserved for Virat Kohli.
The Indian team currently has a wide range of alternatives to choose from. With a wide talent pool, the team management faces a happy selection dilemma in the lead-up to this year's T20 World Cup. The opening mix itself has players like Ruturaj Gaikwad waiting in the wings and the phenomenal run of Shreyas Iyer further complicates the top-order selection. Ishan Kishan opened alongside skipper Rohit Sharma in the just-concluded T20I assignments against the West Indies and Sri Lanka.
But with the return of prominent faces such as Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, head coach Rahul Dravid will have serious head-scratching to do for selecting the perfect team combination for the T20 showpiece event. India opened with the Rahul-Rohit duo in the previous edition of the tournament. But should the team go with the same combination this year too?
Former Australia spinner Brad Hogg feels Kohli should be drafted at the top with Rohit and Shreyas should bat at the No. 3 position. On Sunday, Shreyas himself expressed his desire to bat at the No. 3 spot, the place which is normally reserved for Virat Kohli.
The in-form batter hit three fifties against Sri Lanka after getting a chance in the side due to Kohli being given a bio-bubble break. Hogg also weighed in on the all-rounder picks and backed Venkatesh Iyer's inclusion in case of Hardik Pandya's unavailability.
"For me, if you're going to have Kohli in the team, he should be opening the batting with Rohit. I'd like to have Shreyas Iyer coming in at No.3 and Pant at No.4. Have to try to get KL Rahul in there as well at some stage. If Pandya is fit, he and Jadeja can feature at No.6 and 7," Hogg said on his YouTube channel.
"I'd have Siraj, Bumrah and Shami are the quicks. Chahal will be the lead spinner. Suryakumar Yadav coming in at No.5. If Pandya is not fit, then Venkatesh Iyer coming in at No.6."
India endured a mediocre run in the last T20 World Cup as they crashed out of the event in its group stage. But Hogg believes the current team has got the potential to beat hosts Australia in their own backyard.
"It is going to be very difficult to beat India at the T20 World Cup. Depends on what venues India are going to be playing on, because that might determine their fate. If they end up having to play more on the bouncier surfaces, and who they play on those pitches, it could be a key factor. It's the only thing that is going to stop India from winning the T20 World Cup.
"Other than that, I think they have got the team to beat Australia down here and any other team in Australian soil," Hogg elaborated.
