Former India captain Sourav Ganguly expressed his view that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli should be India’s opening batters at the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in June. Ganguly spoke about it during a media interaction organized by Delhi Capitals. His perspective on India’s squad selection comes just over a week before selectors meet to finalize the 15-member squad for the tournament in the United States and the West Indies.
Ganguly believes that Sharma and Kohli are a vital part of the Indian team.
“I believe both Virat and Rohit should open. In my opinion, the final roster should include a balance of experienced veterans and talented youth. While the veteran players have delivered tremendous performances over the years, the young players have also shown great promise and potential. The final selections should be based on a holistic evaluation of each player’s skills, character, and record of strong performances, regardless of age or experience,” Sourav Ganguly said.
While BCCI confirmed Rohit as India’s T20 World Cup captain in February, the composition of India’s top batting order remains open as the IPL 2024 reached half-way stage. Virat Kohli tops the batting charts while opening for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, but his strike rate in T20 cricket continues to spark debate. Earlier this season, Kohli scored a 100 off 67 balls against Rajasthan Royals – the slowest century in IPL history.
India suffered a humiliating semi-final defeat to England in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, sparking criticism of India’s outdated batting approach and the urgent need to reinvent their playing style.
“I mentioned to Rahul Dravid in Australia to play fearlessly and aggressively. With a deep batting lineup, India can afford to take risks and just go for their shots. Even if they lose some wickets early on, the team has the depth to recover.
“India has players to adopt a more aggressive approach. Rohit showed his ability during the 50-over World Cup, providing explosive starts at the top of the order that relieved pressure on the middle order,” Sourav Ganguly added.
“Virat is also capable of hitting 40-ball hundred (strike rate of more than 200). With their talent, India simply needs to go out and play with an attacking mindset right from the start, putting pressure on the opposition during the powerplay overs. If they can consistently get off to fast starts, it will give them breathing room later in the innings.” remarked Ganguly.