T20 World Cup: "Please Get Rohit And Rahul To Open", Says Aakash Chopra
T20 World Cup: Speaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra called for KL Rahul to open with Rohit Sharma instead of captain Virat Kohli.
- Neelav Chakravarti
- Updated: October 18, 2021 08:46 pm IST
Highlights
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Aakash Chopra feels Virat Kohli should bat at No. 3
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He also feels KL Rahul should open with Rohit Sharma
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Regular opener Shikhar Dhawan hasn't been picked in the squad
With India gearing up for the T20 World Cup, many fans will be wondering who will open for the team. Skipper Virat Kohli has already expressed his desire to open for the outfit and did so earlier in the year. Meanwhile, KL Rahul has also flourished opening for Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season. Rohit Sharma has been a mainstay on top of the order for India in ODI and T20I cricket. Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra feels the Mumbai Indians (MI) captain and Rahul are the perfect opening duo for Team India and Kohli batting at no. 3 would be beneficial to Ravi Shastri's side.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra said, "The first thing is the batting order, who is going to open? Last time when they played, Rohit and Kohli had opened, and both had hit a lot and the talk started to make them open because Rahul was not making runs at that time".
Supporting Rahul, he further added, "But now Rahul is firing. He is not walking; he is running and running better than Rohit and Virat."
"So, please get Rohit and Rahul to open. Virat Kohli at No.3, I want to see how Surya is batting. I want the carefree and fearless approach from Rahul", he said.
Rahul was leading the Orange Cap race in IPL 2021 until the summit clash when Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis pipped him to first and second place respectively.
The PBKS captain smashed 626 runs in 13 games and also registered six half-centuries. Meanwhile, Rohit bagged 381 runs in 13 matches and Kohli registered 405 in 15 fixtures.
With two warm-up games against England and Australia, Team India will open their T20 World Cup campaign against Pakistan on Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium.