Mohali: Ahead of the upcoming T20 series against Australia, skipper Rohit Sharma opened up about his plans with Virat Kohli and KL Rahul’s batting position for the upcoming T20 World Cup this year.
In the final game of India at the Asia Cup, Virat Kohli opened with KL Rahul and scored a thundering century in just 61 deliveries reaching his 71st century and breaking the drought after 1.020 days.
Skipper Rohit Sharma in the pre-match conference said that “We understand the quality of all our players and what they bring to us. But Virat Kohli’s opening is an option for us, we will always keep that in mind. Since we have not taken the third opener, he opens for his franchise and he has done really well while playing at that position, so it is a definite option for us,”.
However, Rohit further made it clear that KL Rahul will be the top option for the opening spot. He said that “We are clear with our thought process.” He further added that “We are clear about what KL Rahul brings to the table for us, he is a quality player and is important for us.”
He further highlighted the importance of Virat’s performance and his success as an opener in IPL. He further added that “It is always nice to have options available for you. It is important going into a World Cup that you have flexibility. You want the players to be in best shape batting at any position. When we try to do something new, that does not mean that’s a problem,”.
Mohammad Shami has been ruled out of the three-match T20 series against Australia after contracting COVID-19. Umesh Yadav has been named as Shami’s replacement for the three-match series.
All eyes are on this T20 series against Australia and another home series against South Africa, starting from September 28, consisting of three ODIs and three T20Is.