Kohli & Jaiswal Should Open; Rohit At 3 - Ex IND Opener Drops Bombshell Ahead Of T20 World Cup 2024
Virat Kohli in action for India in January 2024 (BCCI)
Former cricketer Wasim Jaffer wants Virat Kohli to open the innings for Team India at the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 in Caribbean and the USA. Jaffer believes Kohli should team-up with young Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top, while captain Rohit Sharma should demote himself to number three considering he is a “better player of spin”.
Earlier this year, during India’s previous T20I venture against Afghanistan at home, Sharma opened the innings alongside Jaiswal, and the two are currently slated to reprise their roles as openers for the ‘Men in Blue’ in next week’s multi-nation event.
Wasim Jaffer advices a change in opening combination
On May 29, i.e., a few days prior to the launch of the 2024 T20 World Cup, former Test player Wasim Jaffer took to X (formerly Twitter) and advised the Indian team management to make some changes at the top of the order.
For starters, the cricketer-turned-commentator advocated for the opening combination of Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal, and suggested captain Rohit Sharma to demote himself to number three. Moreover, Jaffer also added that Suryakumar Yadav should bat at number four if Team India gets off to a flier. He wrote:
A number of Indian players like Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav have already reached New York for the forthcoming T20 World Cup 2024. The ‘Men in Blue’ are currently gearing up to face Bangladesh in their lone warm-up match on June 1.
The Indian team, clubbed in Group A, will launch their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign with a match against Ireland at New York’s Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on June 5.