Should Virat Kohli open in T20 World Cup? - Deep Dasgupta suggests the possibilities

After the conclusion of the England tour, Virat Kohli’s Team India will shift its focus on the preparation for T20 World Cup, scheduled to begin from October 17 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It will be interesting to see who all could make it to the 15-man squad but the more anticipating part would be to find out if captain Kohli continues to play as an opener.

The Indian skipper promoted himself up in the batting order during the T20I series against England at home and then continued to open for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 before the tournament came to an abrupt halt.

A lot of fans would be eager to know about Kohli’s batting position in the all-important ICC event. However, former Indian cricketer Deep Dasgupta believes a lot will depend on the form of KL Rahul. While discussing the same in his latest YouTube video, the cricketer-turned commentator opined that if Rahul bats well, there’s no point of Virat opening the innings.

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“Well, it’s possible, and Virat also mentioned during the last series, that he’s seriously thinking [about opening with Rohit], he might, or whatever he said. But I don’t know whether it's the right way to go about it. A lot will depend on how KL Rahul's form is,” Dasgupta said.

“If KL Rahul is batting the way he was a year ago then I don't see any reason why Virat should open. Then Rohit and KL can open and Virat can come at three... I won't say Virat and Rohit 'will' open at this point in time, I will say that option is still open,” he added.

Rahul has been out of action for quite a long time now. He underwent appendicitis surgery days before the IPL 2021 was called off. He is currently travelling with the Indian contingent to the UK for the 5-match Test series against the hosts, which will kickstart from August 4 in Nottingham.

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The Karnataka batsman hasn’t played a Test match since September 2019. If he gets a chance in the upcoming England Tests and manages to perform well, he’d definitely be one of the T20 World Cup selection frontrunners.

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