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Kohli To Open With Rohit Sharma? Former IND Batter Predicts IND's Playing XI For Opener Vs IRE

Sanjay Manjrekar expects Kohli & Rohit to open for India in T20 WC (x.com)Sanjay Manjrekar expects Kohli & Rohit to open for India in T20 WC (x.com)

India's strategy for the T20 World Cup 2024 remains uncertain, with questions lingering over whether Virat Kohli will bat at number three or open the innings. 

Many former players and fans are advocating for Yashasvi Jaiswal's inclusion as one of India's openers, especially with Rinku Singh already excluded from India's 15-man squad. 

While the majority predicts Rohit and Jaiswal as the opening pair, former player and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar believes it will be Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. 

Despite advocating for a young Indian core at the tournament, Manjrekar suggests that given the circumstances, having Kohli as the opener could bring out his best, similar to his role at RCB.

"Ideally, I would not have gone that way; I would have stuck with a slightly more younger kind of, core set of players but the selectors have committed themselves to the icons, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Now that they are in the squad, it's impossible to have Virat Kohli batting at No. 3 because then you don't get the full rally of Virat. Rohit Sharma has to open, so now, India in a way have forced themselves to have only one kind of combination — two right-handers"- Manjrekar said.

However Manjrekar expresses discontent over the idea of Yashasvi Jaiswal being sidelined, citing past instances where backing senior players hasn't yielded success for India. Even inthe T20 World Cup 2022, backing of senior players didn't worked well for India.

"(But) India have trusted the seniors a move that hasn't worked over the years let's hope it works this time," Manjrekar added.

India have a tight schedule with just one warm-up match against Bangladesh before the World Cup. 

With India's first game against Ireland on June 5th, a team that recently defeated Pakistan, India must quickly resolve any issues and finalize the ideal combination for the tournament.