xtratime Logo

Xtra Time Web Desk: Former legendary India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar said he would like to see Virat Kohli opening the batting with Rohit Sharma in T20 format. India captain Virat Kohli promoted himself to open the batting with Rohit in the final T20I against England on Saturday. The two batted splendidly to add 94 runs for the opening wicket in real quick time. Riding on their partnership, India posted a daunting 224/2 with Kohli remaining unbeaten on 80 off 52 balls.

 “Your best batsman should bat the most number of overs in limited-overs cricket. So it was very important for Virat Kohli to bat at the top of the order. So maybe, KL Rahul’s loss of form has been a blessing in disguise because this has given us an opening combination to look forward to,” Gavaskar told in an interview to India Today.

The Little Master is quite impressed with the way they placed their innings with Rohit playing the attacking role.

According to Sunny, “I would persist with this opening formula. Look at the way they fed off each other. You could see the interaction between the two of them, whenever each of them got the big shot going.”

The former India captain drew a comparison between Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar.

“Like when Sachin Tendulkar was batting down the order in ODIs and then he was sent up to open the batting and what a transformation it had not just on his batting but the whole team. So clearly, your best batsman has to bat as many overs as they can,” said Gavaskar.

 “When that happens, when two leaders of the team show the way, it becomes easier for the guys coming down the order. With Suryakumar Yadav, in India colours and playing those cameos, it’s really good,” Gavaskar added.