Former West Indian batsman Brian Lara believes the struggling opening combo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma would perform well in the 2024 T20 World Cup Super Eight match against Bangladesh on June 22 in Antigua. Apart from Rohit’s half-century in Team India’s tournament opener against Ireland, the duo’s batting performances have been below standard.
Kohli and Rohit’s opening partnerships have been 22, 12, 1, and 11 in four matches, with a terrible 11.50 average. It has sparked various debates among fans and analysts about Kohli perhaps switching to his usual No. 3 spot in the batting order.
In an interview with Star Sports, Brian Lara dismissed such concerns and predicted the duo would put on a 100-run partnership for the opening wicket against Bangladesh.’
“India is going to be 100 without loss in that match if they bat first, right? And even if they bat second, they are going to be 100 without loss. Of course, Fizz is an amazing bowler. He is going to come out and threaten but I just feel that India is just too much and that roller coaster and, you know, they just seem rolling every team at the moment and that’s how I think it’s going to happen.”
Brian Lara
He added:
“India is very concerned about the opening partnership, and they’re going to fix that against Bangladesh. I don’t think that Bangladesh is going to be a threat.”
Brian Lara
While Rohit averages 25.33 with a strike rate of 111.76, Kohli has fared far worse, averaging 7.25 with a strike rate of 87.87 in the World Cup.
“Those two great players, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are going to come to the fore” – Brian Lara
Brian Lara in his effusive admiration bestowed high praise upon Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma accrediting them as two of the premier T20 maestros on the planet. He confidently tipped them to dominate the scoreboards in the upcoming clash with Bangladesh.
The duo sadly did not grace Indias T20I lineup post the 2022 World Cup before making a strong comeback for the Afghanistan home series earlier this year.
“I think it’s going to give India that impetus that is needed going into the back end of the tournament of the semi-finals and the finals. So, this match, I think that those two great players, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are going to come to the fore.”
Brian Lara
He concluded:
“I think the Indian team expects a good opening partnership. Everything is falling into place. This World Cup is a World Cup where no team is very dominant because of the state of the pitches. But if India can solve the opening problem, and it’s not a problem, it’s the two best T20 players in the world, they are not going to run right now.”
Brian Lara
Despite their problems, the Men in Blue have gone undefeated in the competition, winning all four games.
They began their Super Eight phase with a commanding 47-run victory against Afghanistan and will try to make it two from two against Bangladesh.
