Virat Kohli said that he would be batting at number three in T20 World Cup whereas KL Rahul would open. Kohli had said earlier that he would be opening with Rohit Sharma but the Indian Premier League 2021 changed the planning.
Ahead of India’s warm-up game against England in Dubai, Kohli revealed at the toss his batting position. He said KL Rahul would be opening along with Rohit Sharma at the top. “Things were different before IPL, now it’s difficult to look beyond KL Rahul at the top of the order. Rohit is a no-brainer. World-class player, he’s been solid upfront. I will be batting at 3. That’s the only news I can give to start off,” Kohli said.
KL Rahul was the third highest run-scorer in the IPL with 628 runs to his name. He smashed the most number of sixes (30) as well. While he was in a good form, some criticized him for his approach and strike rate. But KL Rahul explained how he was batting according to the situation. And, he was correct as the Punjab Kings middle-order never came on track.
Talking about the warm-up matches, Kohli said, “Outside of that we just want to give the opportunity to guys in these games as much as possible. We will look to give game-time to most of them. The idea is to create some energy and momentum as a team. We have played in different teams recently (in the IPL)”.
India’s warm-up match against England saw KL Rahul in a brilliant form and India stealing a fine win. Kohli said, “We are pretty sorted in terms of how we are going to start in the first game (versus Pakistan).” He spoke about the IPL too, “We have had success in the past. So we want to create that same energy, fielding is the best place to start I reckon when eleven guys are together. The IPL is right up there in terms of level and competitiveness, but this is paramount. Indian cricket is a priority for everyone. That has to be the case. Adaptability is what matters. People play different roles in their IPL teams. It’s about adapting quickly to this team now, who plays where is what matters.”
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