Team India have just announced their 15-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2022 and many former cricketers expressed their views on the team combination. Former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel has opined that Virat Kohli should open with Rohit Sharma in the continental tournament.
While talking on a YouTube channel, Parthiv Patel believed that a player has to play according the game when batting on number three while a player can set up the game according to himself if he starts the innings.
Parthiv said on Cricbuzz YouTube channel, "My openers are Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. I would want Virat Kohli to open and just go out and unleash yourself. You have taken a break and we know there is no shortage of ability in Kohli’s batting style. And sometimes as an opener you start at 0/0. When you are batting at three, the game is not set up for you. You have to play according to the game situation. Here you start at 0/0 and create the game situation."
"You have all the abilities. Kohli can play however he wants and still play at 170 strike rate. If two wickets have fallen early, he can still play at 130. The number of runs and hundreds he has scored is a testimony of the player himself," he added.
The 15th edition of the Asia Cup is set to begin from August 27 to September 11 and will be played in the United Arab Emirates as the initial hosts Sri Lanka withdrew from hosting the event citing political crisis in the country.