![New York [USA], Jun 04 : Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah during a practice session ahead of India's ICC T20 World Cup opener against Ireland, in New York on Tuesday.](https://ritamdigital.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/20240604026l.jpg)
In a strategic move for India’s upcoming T20 World Cup game against Ireland, cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has suggested that Virat Kohli should open the batting alongside captain Rohit Sharma. This recommendation would see young talent Yashasvi Jaiswal drop to the number three position.
The debate surrounding Kohli’s batting spot has been intense, given his long-standing role as India’s number three in the white-ball format. Kohli enters the World Cup on the heels of a stellar IPL season, where he amassed 741 runs in 15 matches, boasting an average of 61.75 and a strike rate exceeding 154. His impressive run included a century and five half-centuries while opening for the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Gavaskar shared his preferred lineup during an appearance on Star Sports, stating, “Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to open the batting along with Yashasvi Jaiswal at three.”
Additionally, Gavaskar chose the dynamic Rishabh Pant over Sanju Samson for wicketkeeping duties and preferred Mohammed Siraj over left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh. He detailed his lineup, saying, “Suryakumar Yadav at four, Rishabh Pant at five. At number six, I would have Hardik Pandya, number seven would be Ravindra Jadeja, number eight, not necessarily in that batting order, Shivam Dube. Number nine Kuldeep Yadav, number 10 Jasprit Bumrah, and number 11 will be Siraj.”
India’s game against Ireland on Wednesday will be followed by a highly anticipated match against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday.
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