Parthiv Patel feels Virat Kohli should open the batting for Team India in Twenty20 Internationals with Rohit Sharma. He bases this opinion on the seasoned right-hander’s prior achievements at the position, which led him to believe that this is the best position for the player in question.
The former keeper-batsman for India made the suggestion that the team should bat Virat Kohli in the opening spot in their batting order. He made the point that the batter would have complete freedom to play in the opening position.
According to the former Indian wicket-keeper, Kohli has the ability to play aggressive cricket in the opening spot. He also stressed that the veteran campaigner is capable of consolidating even if India loses a few wickets early on in the match.Â
What did Parthiv Patel say about Virat Kohli?
Parthiv Patel elaborated as follows:Â “Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are the two players I would love to see start the game. I want Kohli to open the batting so that he can simply let loose and play his natural game. Although he is now on a hiatus, it is common knowledge that his batting style displays a high level of talent.”
He added:Â “As an opener, you start the game at 0-0. On the other hand, when you play at No. 3, you have to adapt your game to the circumstances. If two wickets have already gone at the start of the innings, Kohli’s strike rate may drop to 130, but he can still play any way he likes and still maintain a strike rate of 170.”
Brian Lara said, "I've great respect for Virat Kohli the player. Every player goes through tough phases, and I'm sure Virat will be back as a much better player. You never write off a player like Virat". (To @Vimalwa).
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) August 7, 2022
Notable as it may be, Virat Kohli has not played any cricket since India returned from their tour of England. He was taken out of the lineup for the white-ball matches that were played in the West Indies, and he won’t be traveling to Zimbabwe with the team either.
The vital Asia Cup 2022 is set to get off on August 24 in the United Arab Emirates, and the seasoned batter is anticipated to make his return in that tournament.
In the midst of mounting speculation over Virat Kohli’s recent struggles, Parthiv Patel has shown his support for Kohli. He believes that there won’t be a lot of pressure on the player since the player doesn’t have to prove anything to anybody.
He continued by saying that Kohli has already shown himself as a capable opener in the past with his exploits in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He proposed that the batter should play as an opener in the shortest format since he prefers hitting in that position and it would be more advantageous for the team.
Innings taken by an Indian to reach 16000 runs in international cricket:
350 – Virat Kohli
376 – Sachin Tendulkar
390 – Rahul Dravid
395 – Virender Sehwag
423 – Sourav Ganguly
427 – Rohit Sharma
487 – MS Dhoni— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) August 7, 2022
