T20 WC 2021 | Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma should open at the T20 World Cup, opines Sunil Gavaskar

The Indian team for the T20 World Cup 2021 is set to be announced on Wednesday, September 8. The virtual meet for the same will be led by the selection committee chairman Chetan Sharma in the presence of skipper Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri. The T20 World Cup will kick off on October 17 in the UAE.

India has several strong contenders for the opening position with the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Prithwi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan at their disposal. Earlier this year, Rohit and Kohli had added 94 while opening the batting in the fifth match of the home T20I series against England. Their brisk fifties had powered India to a match-winning total of 224/2.

Sunil Gavaskar opined that India should stick to the same combination up front, as he selected his 15-member team for the marquee event.

“When we played against England in February, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma opened the batting. So, I think they should be the opening pair in the World Cup. I will pick Rahul as well but at No 4. Suryakumar Yadav will come at No 3,” Gavaskar told Sports Tak.

India has a great depth in the all-rounders department too, with Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Krunal Pandya and Shardul Thakur in the mix. While three spin-bowling all-rounders present a tough choice with specialists Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar and Varun Chakravarthy in the pecking order, Gavaskar seemed convinced of Krunal, given his exploits in the IPL.

“I will pick Krunal Pandya because he is experienced and is an all-rounder. He has done well in the IPL. In addition, since he is a left-hander, it gives us an advantage,” he remarked. 

In the fast bowling department, Gavaskar opted for Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar alongside Shardul Thakur, who has recently displayed fine his all-around skills in England. 

Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer and Prithvi Shaw were the most notable omissions from the line-up.

India will start their campaign on October 24 against arch-rivals Pakistan in Dubai.

Sunil Gavaskar's India squad for T20 World Cup:

Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Bhuneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal.