Virat Kohli smashing his maiden T20I ton while opening the innings in India’s last Asia Cup 2022 Super-4 clash against Afghanistan has once again sparked the debate around his batting position in the shortest format of the game.
Since it was a dead-rubber fixture for India, skipper Rohit Sharma took a rest and Kohli opened the innings alongside stand-in captain KL Rahul.
Although he usually bats at No. 3, Kohli didn’t find any issue at the top as he slammed 122 not out off 61 balls with 12 fours and 6 sixes. He was involved in a 119-run opening stand with Rahul, who scored 62 off 41 balls.
After that game, many cricket experts have suggested the Indian team management to open with Kohli and recently former wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel echoed the same sentiment.
According to Parthiv, Virat gives the "right balance" at the top and should open alongside Rohit during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.
"It's very clear. If I was clear that Virat Kohli should be opening in Asia Cup, he should be opening in World Cup as well. It just gives the right balance," Parthiv said on Cricbuzz.
He then pointed out the difference between Rohit and Kohli, saying one can be very aggressive at the top while the other is a master at finding gaps.
"They (Kohli and Rohit Sharma) are two different kind of players. One goes very aggressive (from the beginning), can hit boundaries, and 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 more often than not they will get India to around fifty," Parthiv said.
"That is a good score without losing a wicket. 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."
Before the Asia Cup 2022, questions were raised over Virat Kohli’s place in the Indian T20I team as he was enduring an extended lean patch. However, the former skipper silenced his critics as he finished the six-team tournament as the second highest run-getter with 276 runs to his name from five innings at an average of 92 and a strike rate of 147.50, including one century and two fifties.
Parthiv said he had no doubt about Kohli's place in the Indian line-up.
"There was no question about Kohli's place. It was just about the form. The expectations are always high because he has set the bar so high. We always talk about his big scores and centuries. He was scoring runs, still getting fifties, but everyone is so obsessed about those centuries. There was never a question of whether he will go to the World Cup or not," he remarked.
