India Squad T20 WC – Gavaskar want Kohli & Rohit to open: Day before India announces Virat Kohli-led T20 World Cup squad, Sunil Gavaskar has a surprise for cricket fans. He has omitted KL Rahul as India’s opener and has picked someone else to partner Rohit Sharma. Furthermore, Shreyas Iyer and Shikhar Dhawan have found no place in his 15-member team for the World Cup.
T20 World Cup: Sunil Gavaskar omits KL Rahul as India opener; Check his opening pair for T20 WC
India Squad T20 WC – Gavaskar want Kohli & Rohit to open: While batting legend Sunil Gavaskar is known for shrewd analysis of the game, by omitting KL Rahul as an opener, he has instead bowled a bouncer. In place of KL Rahul, he has preferred India skipper Virat Kohli as Rohit Sharma’s partner while keeping Rahul as a No 4 batsman.
India Squad T20 WC: Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli opening pair gave India a stunning start with a 94-run opening stand. Kohli hammered unbeaten 80 off 52 balls while Rohit scored 34-ball 64. Before that, Kohli had opened India innings only seven times with the highest score of 70 that came against New Zealand back in 2012 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
“When we played against England in February, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma opened the batting. So, I think they should be the opening pair in the World Cup. I will pick Rahul as well but at No 4. Suryakumar Yadav will come at No 3,” Sunil Gavaskar told Sports Tak, selecting his 15-member squad.
India team for T20 World Cup: At No 3, Sunil Gavaskar prefers Suryakumar Yadav. The Mumbaikar has seen his stocks rise tremendously in the last few months. Since making his debut for India against England, he has scored 139 runs in T20Is with an average of 46.33 while in ODIs, he has scored at an average of 62.00. That he is flexible with batting position and can bat at No 3, 4, 5, and 6 gives India an option.
At No 4, Gavaskar’s pick is KL Rahul, India’s highest-ranked T20I batsman at the moment. KL Rahul has shined throughout opening but has done well at No 3 and No 4 as well. While he is expected to open the innings with Rohit Sharma, Gavaskar believes he is best suited for No 4 position to give India a punch in the middle-order. But he has kept the No 4 position open as per match situation with either KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya or Rishabh Pant batting at that position.
“I will pick Krunal Pandya because he is experienced and is an all-rounder. He has done well in the IPL. In addition, since he is a left-hander, it gives us an advantage,” Sunil Gavaskar said.
Amongst India’s pacers, Gavaskar’s picks are Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chahar. The other one is Shardul Thakur, who can offer depth with the bat. In spin department, he has picked Yuzvendra Chahal while Shreyas Iyer and Rahul Chahar will be his options for travelling reserves.
However, the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw and Ishan Kishan or Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav haven’t found a place in his World Cup squad.
Sunil Gavaskar’s India Team for World Cup:
Batsmen: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav,
Wicketkeepers: KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant,
All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar
Pace bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar
Spinners: Yuzvendra Chahal
