While there is a lot of debate going around Virat Kohli's place in India’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, the star batter is strengthening his selection claims with consistent performances in the ongoing IPL season.
In five matches so far, Kohli has registered scores of 21 (20 balls), 77 (49 balls), 83* (59 balls), 22 (16 balls), 113* (72 balls), 3 (9 balls) and 42 (20 balls) while opening the innings for RCB. He is currently holding the Orange Cap for scoring most runs in IPL 2024.
Meanwhile, a report published in Dainik Jagran claims that Kohli might don the role of an opener in the T20 World Cup 2024, slated to be held in the West Indies and USA from June 1 to June 29.
According to the report, the possibility of having Kohli as an opener was discussed in a meeting held in Mumbai last week where India skipper Rohit Sharma, head coach Rahul Dravid and chief sector Ajit Agarkar were present.
Kohli's place in the T20I squad was not certain when Rohit, Dravid and the selectors met after the 50-over World Cup last year. But a lot has changed since then.
During the home T20I series against Afghanistan, Kohli made his return to the shortest format for India in nearly two years. He batted at his preferred No.3 slot in the two matches that he played with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit opening the innings. However, that might change in the forthcoming T20 World Cup.
The report further stated that Kohli wanted clarity from the selection committee about his place in the T20 World Cup 2024 squad and they came up with the opening gambit.
It is pertinent to mention here that Virat Kohli has already opened the batting for India in T20Is. In 9 innings, he has amassed 400 runs at an average of 57, which is higher than his career T20I average of 51.
Moreover, Kohli strike rate jumps from 138 to 161 when he opens the batting in this format. His only T20I century came while opening the batting against Afghanistan in Asia Cup 2022.
If Kohli does open with Rohit in the T20 World Cup then it will vacate a slot in India's middle-order for big hitters like Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube or Riyan Parag. It will also allow No. 1 ranked T20I batter Suryakumar Yadav to bat at No.3.
However, this move would also mean that Yashasvi Jaiswal will probably not get a chance to feature in the playing XI. The selectors are reputedly keen on taking Shubman Gill as the backup opener because of his IPL returns. Before the IPL 2024 season, Jaiswal was the frontrunner but Gill seems to have pipped him after the first few matches of the competition.
While the RR opener is yet to hit a half-century, the GT captain has been consistent. However, Jaiswal might get the nod since he is a left-hander.
