Former Australia World Cup-winning skipper Ricky Ponting believes Virat Kohli could be India’s best fit for the opening slot along with side captain Rohit Sharma at the fourth-coming ICC T20 World Cup, starting June 1 in the West Indies and the US.
While Kohli has primarily batted at No. 3 for India in the shortest format in the past, Ponting thinks the 35-year-old will be best served opening the innings when India begins their campaign against Ireland on June 5. “They (selectors) have still got a decision to make because (Yashasvi) Jaiswal is in that squad, and one thing they haven’t got a lot of in their team is left-hand batters,” Ponting said. “So, they’ve got a decision to make with Jaiswal, but I’m pretty sure that they’ll go with Kohli and Rohit Sharma (as openers).
” Kohli has been in fine form in the role of opener for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), with a tournament-best 708 runs from 14 innings, but despite that, questions have been raised about his strike rate at the top of the batting order.
Ponting, the ICC Hall of Famer, says that while strike rates have taken precedence despite his averages in recent times, Kohli remains as relevant to India’s fortunes as before.