Weeks of speculation have finally been put to rest as Virat Kohli takes his place at the top of the order for India’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign. This comes after a phenomenal IPL 2024 season where Kohli, opening the batting for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), secured the Orange Cap with a staggering 741 runs at an average of 61.7.
Kohli over Jaiswal
There was initial speculation that India might choose Rohit Sharma and young talent Yashasvi Jaiswal to open, with Jaiswal impressing massively in the Test format. However, with India prioritizing a longer batting lineup with more power in the middle order, the team management has opted for the experience and explosiveness of the Rohit-Kohli duo.
The news was confirmed at the toss for the India vs Ireland clash, with Rohit Sharma revealing that Jaiswal would be on the bench. This is a clear indication that the two batting stalwarts, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, will be entrusted with the responsibility of providing a strong foundation for the Indian batting order throughout the T20 World Cup. Notably, Rohit and Kohli have opened together just once in T20I history, where the duo added 94 against England in 2022.
Team India playing XI vs Ireland
Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj.
