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Is it like this? What is best for India may not be best for Virat Kohli, and what’s best for Kohli may not be best for the Indian team! As the debate rages on whether he should open the innings in the T20 World Cup with Rohit Sharma, King Kohli continues to amass runs for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the ongoing IPL without much hope for his team to end up on a high.
Kohli winning and his team failing to win titles isn’t a new phenomenon. But the manner he has managed to hold onto the slot for the T20 side is a commendable job he did as a T20 batter. There is no pattern — as to how Kohli’s run will help India in the T20 World Cup, but the team management is fully confident that something big is coming its way — whether Kohli bats as an opener or a one-down batter.
Going by what the India team has been doing for ages by staying inside its comfort zone, a left-right combination of Rohit and Yashasvi Jaiswal and making Kohli bat at No.3 could work as a perfect recipe.
As a captain of T20, Kohli always wanted to open the innings, but he couldn’t because of KL Rahul, who wasn’t a perfect choice in the middle-order. So, he had to come down the order. However, at this stage of his career, the Indian team management should look to make the most of Kohli’s experience rather than considering and depending too much on him after seeing his form on flat pitches in the IPL so far.
In other words, Kohli should have the role of a floater. If the India team loses their first wicket early, Kohli should be told to go one-down. Or else if India gets into a position of strength with a flying start while batting first or chasing, Surya Kumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, and Hardik Pandya are best suited over Kohlif for their hard-hitting skills.
There is absolutely nothing to feel bad about. If Kohli is in the team, he has to benefit the team. He can’t play all those 18 overs or so and score a century. Now that our back is against the wall for not winning an ICC event for the last 11 years, India needs to try out different tactics to keep the opposition guessing, and keeping in a floater role suits Kohli the best!
