Team India will begin its campaign at the T20 World Cup next month, aiming to end its 11-year drought for an ICC trophy. There is significant speculation over India’s selection strategies ahead of the tournament, with one of the major debates being the opening order for the side. The focal point for the debate is Virat Kohli, who has been in stellar form as an opener for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the ongoing IPL, amassing 708 runs from 14 innings.
Despite his impressive run tally, questions linger about his strike rate at the top of the order, prompting discussions on whether he should retain the opener’s role for the national team. According to former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, Kohli will be among the first picks for the Indian team, with him opening the batting alongside captain Rohit Sharma.
“They (selectors) have still got a decision to make because (Yashasvi) Jaiswal is in that squad and one thing they haven’t got a lot in their team is left-hand batters,” Ponting told ICC.
“So they’ve got a decision to make with Jaiswal, but I’m pretty sure that they’ll go with Kohli and Rohit Sharma (as openers).”
Ponting spoke in detail about the criticism Kohli gets but insisted that India need to put the “right guys” around him who can play aggressively. “It’s funny with Virat. I think people in India just always try to find a reason not to pick him or a reason why he’s maybe not as good as some of these other guys in the T20 game.
“He (Kohli) is the first pick for me for India.
“He can play his role at the top. And if you’ve got the right guys around him scoring (like) Suryakumar (Yadav)…Rohit Sharma’s going to have a high strike rate. These other guys can go in there and play their way.”
Can’t replace class and experience
Kohli’s remarkable consistency has undoubtedly bolstered his case for the opening role. In the past few IPL matches, the veteran India batter has played at a significantly higher strike rate. He scored 92 in just 47 balls in RCB’s win over Punjab Kings in the group stage and gave his side a strong start with a brisk 42-run knock in their must-win match against Chennai Super Kings. His current strike rate in the tournament (overall) is 155.60.
Ponting insisted that Kohli is among the players who get the “job done” and that replacing a player like him is difficult.
“I remember having this chat and some other chats I did for the ICC about there’s some talk about Virat not being in their team only last year, but what happened when the big games come around, he was one of the guys who got the job done,” Ponting noted.
“So class and experience like that, you can’t replace.”
