India captain Virat Kohli confirmed that KL Rahul will be Rohit Sharma’s opening partner to start the five-match T20I series against England, which begins in Ahmedabad on Friday.
With Shikhar Dhawan in good form in the last Indian Premier League season, and opening with Rahul in Australia when Rohit was absent, there were question marks over what the first-choice combination for this series will be.
Kohli, addressing a virtual press conference ahead of the series-opener, said Dhawan will be third-choice opener.
“If Rohit plays, it’s simple. KL [Rahul] and Rohit have been consistently performing at the top. If either of them take rest, Shikhar is the third opener. Rohit and Rahul will start,” Kohli said.
As India restart their preparations for a home World Cup against England — who Kohli thinks are the favourites — Rahul and Rohit are all but set to be first-choice at the top of the order.
“In a situation, Rohit takes rest and KL has a niggle or something, Shikhi (Dhawan’s nickname in team) obviously comes in as the third opener but the starting composition, Rohit and Rahul will be the ones who will start,” Kohli added.
| Date | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 12th March | 1st T20I | Ahmedabad |
| 14th March | 2nd T20I | Ahmedabad |
| 16th March | 3rd T20I | Ahmedabad |
| 18th March | 4th T20I | Ahmedabad |
| 20th March | 5th T20I | Ahmedabad |
"Is the door closed for Ashwin in T20 cricket?"
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) March 11, 2021
Virat Kohli: pic.twitter.com/XjFCgNQuMc
For Kohli and India, the primary aim will be to get an idea of his core group of players going into the ICC T20 World Cup in October. And he couldn’t have hoped for a better opposition than a world-class English white-ball side under Eoin Morgan, ready to be way more challenging on flatter tracks which promise a run-feast.
The Indian captain also said the additions to the batting lineup are made with the view to add more depth and a freer approach in the shortest format.
