CRICKETNEXT

CHANGE LANGUAGE
English
हिन्दी বাংলা मराठी ગુજરાતી ಕನ್ನಡ தமிழ் മലയാളം తెలుగు ਪੰਜਾਬੀ اردو অসমীয়া ଓଡ଼ିଆ
Follow Us On
Back to News18
Home » Cricket Home » News » India vs England: Sunil Gavaskar Wants Virat Kohli to Open, Cites Sachin Tendulkar's Example

India vs England: Sunil Gavaskar Wants Virat Kohli to Open, Cites Sachin Tendulkar's Example

India produced an exceptional win against England in the fifth T20I, beating visitors by a massive 36 runs. The most crucial factor proved to be the opening partnership between Rohit Sharma and skipper Virat Kohli, and both of them scored fifties. While Kohli scored 80 in 52 balls, Rohit went berserk with 34 ball 64.

India vs England: Sunil Gavaskar Wants Virat Kohli to Open, Cites Sachin Tendulkar's Example

India produced an exceptional win against England in the fifth T20I, beating visitors by a massive 36 runs. The most crucial factor proved to be the opening partnership between Rohit Sharma and skipper Virat Kohli, and both of them scored fifties. While Kohli scored 80 in 52 balls, Rohit went berserk with 34 ball 64.

ALSO READ – India vs England: WATCH – Virat Kohli & Jos Buttler Engage in War of Words After Latter is Dismissed

While many would have been surprised when Kohli promoted himself to the top of the order, the tactic seemed to have worked for India, and former skipper Sunil Gavaskar believes that he should continue to bat at that position. “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.

“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 have to bat as many overs as they can,” Gavaskar told India Today.

Meanwhile, after leading India to a 3-2 series win over England scoring an unbeaten 80 (52) in the final T20I in Ahmedabad, India captain Virat Kohli expressed his desire to open the batting more often in the lead up to the ICC T20 World Cup, including in the IPL.

Opening the batting with Rohit Sharma for the first time, Kohli put on a 94-run stand with the vice captain in just 9 overs. Kohli batted through to help India post 224 for 2, which they defended. Kohli was also player of the series.

ALSO READ – ‘I am Going to Open in IPL Too’ – Virat Kohli Expresses Desire to Partner Rohit Sharma in T20 World Cup

“Yes, I’m going to open in the IPL as well. Have batted in different positions in the past but we do have a solid middle order now – it’s about the two best players getting maximum no of balls in T20 cricket. I’d like to partner Rohit at the top and the other guys feel confident when one of us are in. I’d like that to continue,” he said at the post match presentation.

Team Rankings

RankTeamPointsRating
1 Australia 3028 116
2 New Zealand 2406 115
3 India 3085 114
4 England 4326 106
5 Sri Lanka 2454 91
FULL Ranking
RankTeamPointsRating
1 England 5405 123
2 India 6102 117
3 New Zealand 3716 116
4 Australia 4344 111
5 South Africa 3345 108
FULL Ranking
RankTeamPointsRating
1 England 6877 275
2 Australia 6800 272
3 India 10186 268
4 Pakistan 7516 259
5 South Africa 5047 252
FULL Ranking

Upcoming Matches