Virender Sehwag believes someone should convince Virat Kohli to return to number 3 batting position.
Virender Sehwag would like to see KL Rahul paired up with Rohit Sharma as openers in the upcoming 2021 T20 World Cup. Earlier, India captain Virat Kohli had hinted he will open with Rohit in the much-awaited tournament.
The former India opener Sehwag feels Kohli should bat at three and let the in-form batter Rahul utilize the opening position. But he feels no one in the current setup can change captain Kohli's mind for the batting position.
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"If I was a part of the Indian support staff, I would definitely try and convince the captain that he is better off at No. 3. If KL Rahul opens, it will be better for us. At the end of the day, it is the batsman's call to decide the batting order, but if so many people are suggesting something, he listens.
"All the big captains – Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, or even MS Dhoni – if 2-3 people used to come and tell him something, he would listen to them," Sehwag had said on Cricbuzz.
Rahul, who captained Punjab Kings in IPL 2021, is the prestigious Orange cap holder with 626 runs in 13 matches. Ruturaj Gaikwad is only 23 runs behind him with the final match to be played on October 15.
Sehwag said Rahul can be a dangerous batter if India opens with him and the team management allows him to play with freedom. "But the thing is – I doubt there's anyone who can tell Kohli that he should not open and instead bat at No. 3. That is the matter. The way KL Rahul is batting, if he opens in international cricket, and he gets the freedom to play the way he did the other evening against CSK, then he can be an extremely dangerous player," he added.
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)