Virat likely to open the innings with Rohit in T20 World Cup – Saba Karim

Virat Kohli has been a revelation since coming as an opener for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). In the 73 matches in which Kohli has opened the batting, he has scored 2652, at an average of 45.72 and a strike rate of 137.91. When the Indian skipper opened the batting alongside Rohit Sharma in India’s final T20I against England, he shared a 94-run partnership with his partner.

In conversation during Khelneeti – A Hindi Cricket Podcast on YouTube, former Indian cricketer and selector Saba Karim feels that there is a strong chance of India skipper opening the batting for India in the T20 World Cup.

“There now seems to be a strong chance of Virat Kohli opening the innings for India in the T20 World Cup because he is taking a liking to that position. He is batting with a good stride rate. He has a concept of which shots to play and the kind of risks he has to take, so it’s all about applying that.”

With back-to-back fifties in the UAE leg, Virat has come back to form. “Now everyone will just be waiting to see when he (Kohli) can convert these starts into big scores. If you’re an opener and your strike rate is good at the start, you’re expected to go on and convert that start into a big score.”