Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer is firm in his belief that Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli should lead the batting for the Men in Blue at the forthcoming T20 World Cup. A buzz surrounds the discussions on Indias opening partnership considering the trio of Rohit Sharma Jaiswal and Kohli.
Rohit and Jaiswal started the batting in the T20I series against Afghanistan earlier this year, with Kohli coming in at number three. However, Jaffer believes that the Men in Blue would be better served releasing Jaiswal and Kohli at the top. He feels Rohit and Suryakumar Yadav have the spin skills to adjust to the circumstances in the middle overs.
Wasim Jaffer remarked in his post on X (previously Twitter) regarding India’s opening combination:
“Kohli & Jaiswal should open in the World Cup imo. Rohit & SKY should bat 3&4 depending on the start we get. Rohit plays spin really well so batting at 4 shouldn’t be a concern. #T20WorldCup #INDvPAK #INDvIRE”
Wasim Jaffer
Jaiswals explosive prowess at the beginning of matches has been widely acknowledged. Surprisingly the anticipated IPL 2024 season emerges as a key factor driving Jaffers favoritism towards Kohli as the Men in Blues opening batsman. Leading the charge for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Kohli notched an impressive tally of 741 runs across 15 appearances boasting an outstanding average of 61.75 and a striking strike rate of 154.69.
“Virat is a master of the first six” – Matthew Hayden on India’s batting lineup
Former Australian batsman Matthew Hayden has expressed a viewpoint similar to Wasim Jaffer. Hayden told Star Sports why he thought Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli would make an excellent opening combination for India.
“The reason I say that is Virat is a master of the first six. And once the power hitting comes into play, there are other great options, including Rohit. Look at his figures at No. 4, they are superb. Those are better than his opening numbers.”
Matthew Hayden
Matthew Hayden also discussed how well the left-hand-right-hand combo will compliment each other and did not recommend Rohit Sharma as the Men in Blue’s opening batsman.