Not Rahul or Kishan! Ex-Australia spinner names batter who should open with Rohit for India in T20Is
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Former Australia spinner Brad Hogg has named star batter who should be opening the batting for India in T20Is with skipper Rohit Sharma.
India have a very settled top order in T20Is heading into the upcoming edition of the ICC T20 World Cup which is scheduled to take place in Australia this year. While the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant are all but confirmed to feature in the top four, there is intense competition when it comes to remaining batting positions with a number of star batters in the fray.
The likes of Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson and Venkatesh Iyer among others are strong contenders for spots in the middle-order. Iyer, who was in magnificent form in the recently-concluded three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka with three back-to-back unbeaten half-centuries has increased the selection headache for the Indian team ahead of the T20 World Cup.
While the opening combination is all but certain to be that of skipper Rohit and vice-captain KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan has also presented a strong case with his ability to strike the ball from the word go and provide destructive starts at the top of the order. However, former Australia spinner Brad Hogg believes former skipper Virat Kohli should be opening the batting for the team if he part of the XI in T20Is.
Open with Kohli, Iyer at 3 and Pant at 4: Hogg
Hogg said Kohli should open the batting with Rohit for India in T20Is while Iyer can bat at number three and Pant can be sent in at number four. The former Australia spinner suggested Rahul be slotted in the middle order while suggesting that Suryakumar, who has been in terrific form over the last few months, can also play at number 5. Hogg said India can then play two all-rounders in Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya at 6 and 7.
"For me, if you're going to have Kohli in the team, he should be opening the batting with Rohit. I'd like to have Shreyas Iyer coming in at No.3 and Pant at No.4. Have to try to get KL Rahul in there as well at some stage. If Pandya is fit, he and Jadeja can feature at No.6 and 7," Hogg said.
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The former Australia spinner also gave his take on what should India's bowling attack look like heading into the T20 World Cup Down Under this year.
"I'd have Siraj, Bumrah and Shami are the quicks. Chahal will be the lead spinner. Suryakumar Yadav coming in at No.5. If Pandya is not fit, then Venkatesh Iyer coming in at No.6," Hogg added.