In the run to the Asia Cup 2022, Virat Kohli’s form (or lack of it) was a red-hot topic. By the time India played their final match of the tournament, Kohli had put those debates to bed with two fifties and a maiden T20I century, finishing as the event’s second highest run-getter.
But it has given birth to another debate: Kohli’s batting position.
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As long as one can remember, the batting superstar has flourished batting at his favourite spot at no 3 in white-ball cricket. He has occasionally opened for India as well – six times in ODIs and nine times in T20Is.
So why the debate?
Well, Kohli scored his maiden century – a sparkling unbeaten 122 against Afghanistan – as an opener. Interestingly, his average improves from 51.94 to 57.14 when opening for India in T20Is.
So, with Kohli seemingly back to his best, there have been suggestions to allow the 33-year-old to open and either of KL Rahul or captain Rohit Sharma to bat lower down the order.
Parthiv Patel, a former India opener and a teammate of Kohli at Royal Challengers Bangalore, feels that Kohli as opener lends a balance to the team and his partnership with Rohit at the top will help India get off to a flying start in Australia where the 2022 T20 World Cup will be played from October 16.
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“I was clear that Virat Kohli should be opening in the Asia Cup (and) he should be opening in the World Cup as well. It just gives the right balance," Patel told Cricbuzz.
“They (Kohli and Rohit) are different kinds of batters. One is aggressive (from the start), can hit boundaries. And then there is Kohli who finds gaps and creates boundaries. If Rohit and Kohli can play till the first six overs, I have no doubt that even in Australian conditions (on most occasions) they will get India to around fifty," he added.
Parthiv said Kohli will be India’s batter in Australian conditions and hence he should get the chance to exploit the fielding restrictions.
“Kohli is probably India’s best batter suited for those conditions. So, why not? You have got your two best batters playing the first six overs. If you have wickets in hand, that has always been the recipe for success for any T20 team," he said.
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