The 7th edition of the T20 World Cup is now less than three months away and yet again our beloved team India is in an uncertain position when it comes to its principal set of openers.

While the main selectors have brimmed the national team with a robust stack of 4-5 top-order batters, the team management along with skipper Virat Kohli is now definitely upholding some oodles of riches in terms of their kingpin opening pair for the upcoming World T20.

Although, the skipper had tentatively confirmed about him and his deputy Rohit Sharma opening the batting, the other two frontline candidates- Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul have emerged as the number 1 and 2 Orange cap holders of the IPL 2021.

Also besides the above four of them, the 21-year old Prithvi  Shaw has an outside chance to dwell himself as another reserve opener for the mega event in the UAE.

Let’s check out the 5 possible opening combinations for team India in the upcoming pinnacle event

1. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-381968" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/KL-Rahul-Rohit-Sharma.jpg" alt="KL Rahul &amp; Rohit Sharma" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-381968" class="wp-caption-text">KL Rahul &amp; Rohit Sharma. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

While Rohit Sharma’s place at the top is definitely ascertained, someone like KL Rahul also looks the best fit to open with the veteran. The cricketer’s ability to attack instantaneously makes him a certainty to have in as especially someone like <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/is-the-england-tour-rohit-sharmas-ultimate-challenge/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rohit Sharma</a> does take some time to heat up his cylinders.

Rahul’s overall gameplay where he is a 360-degree batter also makes him the best to use the powerplay especially with his wrists allowing him to play some exquisite flicks and cut strokes. Perhaps, also being technically well-equipped, Rahul has given team India some soaring starts in the past as his batting can also handle the menaces of sluggish or two-paced wickets.

Overall the right-handed batter can nudge the ball around, can sweep spinners, can ramp pacers and can vigorously pull the medium pacers. And also not to forget his over-the-top boundaries and sixes towards the cover region that ultimately makes him the best when it comes to manipulating the field.

However, while the recent home T20I against England series had eventually made the 29- year old walk off from his established opening, Rahul was team India’s most accomplished batter in 2020 as he averaged around 45 from his 10 T20I games. Further, amongst Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, it&#8217;s KL Rahul who has an excessive strike rate of above 140.

Now even as a collective pair, both Rohit and Rahul have started to open together since 2017 and in total scored around 586 runs at an average of 45.07 from their overall 13 outings. Both of them are also the only two current centurions in the T20Is who also had together once stitched a commendable opening stand of 165 runs. Hence, the duo of Rohit and Rahul should be the chief opening option for team India to start in the 2021 World T20.

2. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-282382" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Rohit-Sharma-and-Shikhar-Dhawan-1.jpg" alt="Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-282382" class="wp-caption-text">Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. (Photo Source: ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images)</figcaption>

While KL Rahul’s aggressive gameplay at the top does currently makes him a cherry candidate to open with, so is the time when Shikhar Dhawan used to get criticized for his conservative batting. His reinvigoration in the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/delhi-capitals-schedule-in-ipl-2021-full-schedule-timings-dates-venues-details/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Delhi Capitals</a> camp has again brought him to the fore, especially with the left-hander having thumped the ball at a strike rate of 144.73 in IPL 2020.

In terms of his overall gameplay, we all know that Dhawan can easily stack up a plethora of fours in power-play situations, but nowadays his forte seems to be his enhanced batting against the spinners. Irrespective of the nature of the pitch, Dhawan’s sweeps, late cuts and chip-shots against any spin bowling makes him easily milk and accumulate boundaries and runs in the middle passage of play.

Overall, with the World Cup venues also pertaining to similar conditions, the traditional left-right combination along with Dhawan’s fortified gameplay surely makes him an alluring player to start with.

Perhaps, even the left-right combo of Rohit and Dhawan seems to have a sea of experience as the duo has opened together for a total of 52 innings in T20Is.

With an average of 33.5, the pair have also accounted for four hundred plus opening stands along with seven fifty-plus partnerships. Hence, a left-right duo just like any other day looks an exciting option to cast so is then thus the pairing of Dhawan and Rohit.

3. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-497518" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Rohit-Sharma-and-Virat-Kohli.jpg" alt="Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-497518" class="wp-caption-text">Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption>

Well in their last T20I played by these two legends, both of them while opening had stitched a commendable 94-run partnership against England that ultimately had also allowed the middle-order to flourish in its natural way. While Rohit Sharma, as usual, had scored a solid 34-ball 64, even Virat Kohli with his usual gameplay had batted deep finishing with an unbeaten 80* from 52 balls.

However, while in reality there is very little chance of this duo indulging themselves at the top for the World T20, their actual dwelling as openers can certainly help team India to break away from its traditional conservative gameplay.

Especially with both Virat and Rohit playing the most balls at the top, India can cast peppy and explosive batters like Ishan Kishan at number three who then collectively with the entire middle-order can indulge themselves into playing some fire-powering cricket.

Specifically with players like <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/taking-ms-dhonis-legacy-forward-twitter-lauds-ishan-kishan-for-effecting-a-lightning-fast-stumping-in-first-sl-t20i/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ishan Kishan</a> who can whack from the go or even Shreyas Iyer who can take spinners for cleaners can place themselves much higher in the batting order to provide the acceleration in the middle passage of play.

And with both Rohit and Virat also being known to bat deep, even the lower middle order can directly come into the fore if it&#8217;s the second half or late end of the innings. Overall, the opening of the skipper and its deputy surely gives team India the benefit of casting a much explosive batting order rather than their traditional approach.

4. Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-457018" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ishan-Kishan-and-Rohit-Sharma.jpg" alt="Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-457018" class="wp-caption-text">Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)</figcaption>

Now with Suryakumar Yadav almost cementing himself for a number four slot, the chances are that there might be a toss-up between either Ishan Kishan or <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/shreyas-iyer-mohammed-siraj-included-as-reetinder-sodhi-names-indias-squad-for-icc-t20-world-cup-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shreyas Iyer</a> as another backup batter, only if the team wants to add an extra bowler in the final-fifteen squad. Also, overall Ishan’s selection in the final fifteen can take precedence over others, merely because of him being capable enough to bat anywhere in the top five.

Perhaps, apart from the above three opening combinations, team India can cast the southpaw at the top as he is very capable of giving some explosive starts. Also, last year in the UAE conditions, Ishan Kishan had smacked most sixes in IPL 2020 along with piling a stack of 516 runs. Further, since the left-handed batter likes taking the spinners for sixes, he can be used at the top as a surprise element especially against quality spin attacks.

Overall, to even fetch a swashbuckling start against any specific opposition, Ishan Kishan can be tactically sent at the top as apparently, his left-hand proposition is a luxury that can be placed anywhere in the top five.

5. Rohit Sharma and Prithvi Shaw

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-335130" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Rohit-Sharma-Prithvi-Shaw.jpg" alt="Rohit Sharma - Prithvi Shaw" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-335130" class="wp-caption-text">Rohit Sharma &#8211; Prithvi Shaw. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption>

The year 2021 has brought in a different vitality to <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/suryakumar-yadav-and-prithvi-shaw-test-covid-19-negative-set-to-join-team-india-in-england/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Prithvi Shaw’s</a> overall batting which also now has raised an outside chance of him getting picked for the upcoming World T20. Although he might be miles behind even to cast himself as a reserve opener, his recent truckload of runs and his mounting strike rate can become an alluring option to instantaneously infuse him in case the team gets brimmed with injuries.

Now although the 21-year old is yet to score a run in T20Is, Shaw had an outbursting IPL 2021 where he was belting bowlers for fun and runs. From all of his 8 IPL games, the right-hander in total had scored 308 runs at a hefty strike rate of 166.48. Even his shot selection seems to have gotten improved especially in the power plays where he recklessly used to take the aerial root.

Overall, while the remainder of the IPL 2021 in UAE can certainly pose some different challenges to his explosive style of batting, the DC-based cricketer also has an excellent chance to soar himself in the big 25-member squad of the upcoming World T20.

The 7th edition of the T20 World Cup is now less than three months away and yet again our beloved team India is in an uncertain position when it comes to its principal set of openers. 
While the main selectors have brimmed the national team with a robust stack of 4-5 top-order batters, the team management along with skipper Virat Kohli is now definitely upholding some oodles of riches in terms of their kingpin opening pair for the upcoming World T20.
Although, the skipper had tentatively confirmed about him and his deputy Rohit Sharma opening the batting, the other two frontline candidates- Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul have emerged as the number 1 and 2 Orange cap holders of the IPL 2021. 
Also besides the above four of them, the 21-year old Prithvi&nbsp; Shaw has an outside chance to dwell himself as another reserve opener for the mega event in the UAE.
<h3 class="p1">Let’s check out the 5 possible opening combinations for team India in the upcoming pinnacle event</h3>
<h3>1. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul</h3>
<figure id="attachment_381968" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-381968" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-381968" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/KL-Rahul-Rohit-Sharma.jpg" alt="KL Rahul &amp; Rohit Sharma" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-381968" class="wp-caption-text">KL Rahul &amp; Rohit Sharma. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
While Rohit Sharma’s place at the top is definitely ascertained, someone like KL Rahul also looks the best fit to open with the veteran. The cricketer’s ability to attack instantaneously makes him a certainty to have in as especially someone like <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/is-the-england-tour-rohit-sharmas-ultimate-challenge/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rohit Sharma</a> does take some time to heat up his cylinders. 
Rahul’s overall gameplay where he is a 360-degree batter also makes him the best to use the powerplay especially with his wrists allowing him to play some exquisite flicks and cut strokes. Perhaps, also being technically well-equipped, Rahul has given team India some soaring starts in the past as his batting can also handle the menaces of sluggish or two-paced wickets. 
Overall the right-handed batter can nudge the ball around, can sweep spinners, can ramp pacers and can vigorously pull the medium pacers. And also not to forget his over-the-top boundaries and sixes towards the cover region that ultimately makes him the best when it comes to manipulating the field. 
However, while the recent home T20I against England series had eventually made the 29- year old walk off from his established opening, Rahul was team India’s most accomplished batter in 2020 as he averaged around 45 from his 10 T20I games. Further, amongst Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, it’s KL Rahul who has an excessive strike rate of above 140. 
Now even as a collective pair, both Rohit and Rahul have started to open together since 2017 and in total scored around 586 runs at an average of 45.07 from their overall 13 outings. Both of them are also the only two current centurions in the T20Is who also had together once stitched a commendable opening stand of 165 runs. Hence, the duo of Rohit and Rahul should be the chief opening option for team India to start in the 2021 World T20.

<h3 class="p3">2. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan</h3>
<figure id="attachment_282382" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-282382" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-282382" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Rohit-Sharma-and-Shikhar-Dhawan-1.jpg" alt="Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-282382" class="wp-caption-text">Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. (Photo Source: ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
While KL Rahul’s aggressive gameplay at the top does currently makes him a cherry candidate to open with, so is the time when Shikhar Dhawan used to get criticized for his conservative batting. His reinvigoration in the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/delhi-capitals-schedule-in-ipl-2021-full-schedule-timings-dates-venues-details/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Delhi Capitals</a> camp has again brought him to the fore, especially with the left-hander having thumped the ball at a strike rate of 144.73 in IPL 2020.
In terms of his overall gameplay, we all know that Dhawan can easily stack up a plethora of fours in power-play situations, but nowadays his forte seems to be his enhanced batting against the spinners. Irrespective of the nature of the pitch, Dhawan’s sweeps, late cuts and chip-shots against any spin bowling makes him easily milk and accumulate boundaries and runs in the middle passage of play. 
Overall, with the World Cup venues also pertaining to similar conditions, the traditional left-right combination along with Dhawan’s fortified gameplay surely makes him an alluring player to start with.
Perhaps, even the left-right combo of Rohit and Dhawan seems to have a sea of experience as the duo has opened together for a total of 52 innings in T20Is. 
With an average of 33.5, the pair have also accounted for four hundred plus opening stands along with seven fifty-plus partnerships. Hence, a left-right duo just like any other day looks an exciting option to cast so is then thus the pairing of Dhawan and Rohit.

<h3 class="p3">3. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli</h3>
<figure id="attachment_497518" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-497518" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-497518" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Rohit-Sharma-and-Virat-Kohli.jpg" alt="Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-497518" class="wp-caption-text">Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
Well in their last T20I played by these two legends, both of them while opening had stitched a commendable 94-run partnership against England that ultimately had also allowed the middle-order to flourish in its natural way. While Rohit Sharma, as usual, had scored a solid 34-ball 64, even Virat Kohli with his usual gameplay had batted deep finishing with an unbeaten 80* from 52 balls.
However, while in reality there is very little chance of this duo indulging themselves at the top for the World T20, their actual dwelling as openers can certainly help team India to break away from its traditional conservative gameplay. 
Especially with both Virat and Rohit playing the most balls at the top, India can cast peppy and explosive batters like Ishan Kishan at number three who then collectively with the entire middle-order can indulge themselves into playing some fire-powering cricket.
Specifically with players like <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/taking-ms-dhonis-legacy-forward-twitter-lauds-ishan-kishan-for-effecting-a-lightning-fast-stumping-in-first-sl-t20i/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ishan Kishan</a> who can whack from the go or even Shreyas Iyer who can take spinners for cleaners can place themselves much higher in the batting order to provide the acceleration in the middle passage of play. 
And with both Rohit and Virat also being known to bat deep, even the lower middle order can directly come into the fore if it’s the second half or late end of the innings. Overall, the opening of the skipper and its deputy surely gives team India the benefit of casting a much explosive batting order rather than their traditional approach.&nbsp;

<h3 class="p3">4. Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan</h3>
<figure id="attachment_457018" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-457018" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-457018" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ishan-Kishan-and-Rohit-Sharma.jpg" alt="Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-457018" class="wp-caption-text">Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
Now with Suryakumar Yadav almost cementing himself for a number four slot, the chances are that there might be a toss-up between either Ishan Kishan or <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/shreyas-iyer-mohammed-siraj-included-as-reetinder-sodhi-names-indias-squad-for-icc-t20-world-cup-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shreyas Iyer</a> as another backup batter, only if the team wants to add an extra bowler in the final-fifteen squad. Also, overall Ishan’s selection in the final fifteen can take precedence over others, merely because of him being capable enough to bat anywhere in the top five. 
Perhaps, apart from the above three opening combinations, team India can cast the southpaw at the top as he is very capable of giving some explosive starts. Also, last year in the UAE conditions, Ishan Kishan had smacked most sixes in IPL 2020 along with piling a stack of 516 runs. Further, since the left-handed batter likes taking the spinners for sixes, he can be used at the top as a surprise element especially against quality spin attacks. 
Overall, to even fetch a swashbuckling start against any specific opposition, Ishan Kishan can be tactically sent at the top as apparently, his left-hand proposition is a luxury that can be placed anywhere in the top five.

<h3 class="p3">5. Rohit Sharma and Prithvi Shaw</h3>
<figure id="attachment_335130" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-335130" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-335130" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Rohit-Sharma-Prithvi-Shaw.jpg" alt="Rohit Sharma - Prithvi Shaw" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-335130" class="wp-caption-text">Rohit Sharma – Prithvi Shaw. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
The year 2021 has brought in a different vitality to <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/suryakumar-yadav-and-prithvi-shaw-test-covid-19-negative-set-to-join-team-india-in-england/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Prithvi Shaw’s</a> overall batting which also now has raised an outside chance of him getting picked for the upcoming World T20. Although he might be miles behind even to cast himself as a reserve opener, his recent truckload of runs and his mounting strike rate can become an alluring option to instantaneously infuse him in case the team gets brimmed with injuries.
Now although the 21-year old is yet to score a run in T20Is, Shaw had an outbursting IPL 2021 where he was belting bowlers for fun and runs. From all of his 8 IPL games, the right-hander in total had scored 308 runs at a hefty strike rate of 166.48. Even his shot selection seems to have gotten improved especially in the power plays where he recklessly used to take the aerial root. 
Overall, while the remainder of the IPL 2021 in UAE can certainly pose some different challenges to his explosive style of batting, the DC-based cricketer also has an excellent chance to soar himself in the big 25-member squad of the upcoming World T20.

The 7th edition of the T20 World Cup is now less than three months away and yet again our beloved team India is in an uncertain position when it comes to its principal set of openers. 
While the main selectors have brimmed the national team with a robust stack of 4-5 top-order batters, the team management along with skipper Virat Kohli is now definitely upholding some oodles of riches in terms of their kingpin opening pair for the upcoming World T20.
Although, the skipper had tentatively confirmed about him and his deputy Rohit Sharma opening the batting, the other two frontline candidates- Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul have emerged as the number 1 and 2 Orange cap holders of the IPL 2021. 
Also besides the above four of them, the 21-year old Prithvi  Shaw has an outside chance to dwell himself as another reserve opener for the mega event in the UAE.
<h3 class="p1">Let’s check out the 5 possible opening combinations for team India in the upcoming pinnacle event</h3>
<h3>1. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul</h3>
<figure id="attachment_381968" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-381968" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-381968" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/KL-Rahul-Rohit-Sharma.jpg" alt="KL Rahul &amp; Rohit Sharma" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-381968" class="wp-caption-text">KL Rahul &amp; Rohit Sharma. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
While Rohit Sharma’s place at the top is definitely ascertained, someone like KL Rahul also looks the best fit to open with the veteran. The cricketer’s ability to attack instantaneously makes him a certainty to have in as especially someone like <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/is-the-england-tour-rohit-sharmas-ultimate-challenge/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rohit Sharma</a> does take some time to heat up his cylinders. 
Rahul’s overall gameplay where he is a 360-degree batter also makes him the best to use the powerplay especially with his wrists allowing him to play some exquisite flicks and cut strokes. Perhaps, also being technically well-equipped, Rahul has given team India some soaring starts in the past as his batting can also handle the menaces of sluggish or two-paced wickets. 
Overall the right-handed batter can nudge the ball around, can sweep spinners, can ramp pacers and can vigorously pull the medium pacers. And also not to forget his over-the-top boundaries and sixes towards the cover region that ultimately makes him the best when it comes to manipulating the field. 
However, while the recent home T20I against England series had eventually made the 29- year old walk off from his established opening, Rahul was team India’s most accomplished batter in 2020 as he averaged around 45 from his 10 T20I games. Further, amongst Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, it&#8217;s KL Rahul who has an excessive strike rate of above 140. 
Now even as a collective pair, both Rohit and Rahul have started to open together since 2017 and in total scored around 586 runs at an average of 45.07 from their overall 13 outings. Both of them are also the only two current centurions in the T20Is who also had together once stitched a commendable opening stand of 165 runs. Hence, the duo of Rohit and Rahul should be the chief opening option for team India to start in the 2021 World T20.

<h3 class="p3">2. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan</h3>
<figure id="attachment_282382" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-282382" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-282382" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Rohit-Sharma-and-Shikhar-Dhawan-1.jpg" alt="Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-282382" class="wp-caption-text">Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. (Photo Source: ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
While KL Rahul’s aggressive gameplay at the top does currently makes him a cherry candidate to open with, so is the time when Shikhar Dhawan used to get criticized for his conservative batting. His reinvigoration in the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/delhi-capitals-schedule-in-ipl-2021-full-schedule-timings-dates-venues-details/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Delhi Capitals</a> camp has again brought him to the fore, especially with the left-hander having thumped the ball at a strike rate of 144.73 in IPL 2020.
In terms of his overall gameplay, we all know that Dhawan can easily stack up a plethora of fours in power-play situations, but nowadays his forte seems to be his enhanced batting against the spinners. Irrespective of the nature of the pitch, Dhawan’s sweeps, late cuts and chip-shots against any spin bowling makes him easily milk and accumulate boundaries and runs in the middle passage of play. 
Overall, with the World Cup venues also pertaining to similar conditions, the traditional left-right combination along with Dhawan’s fortified gameplay surely makes him an alluring player to start with.
Perhaps, even the left-right combo of Rohit and Dhawan seems to have a sea of experience as the duo has opened together for a total of 52 innings in T20Is. 
With an average of 33.5, the pair have also accounted for four hundred plus opening stands along with seven fifty-plus partnerships. Hence, a left-right duo just like any other day looks an exciting option to cast so is then thus the pairing of Dhawan and Rohit.

<h3 class="p3">3. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli</h3>
<figure id="attachment_497518" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-497518" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-497518" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Rohit-Sharma-and-Virat-Kohli.jpg" alt="Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-497518" class="wp-caption-text">Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
Well in their last T20I played by these two legends, both of them while opening had stitched a commendable 94-run partnership against England that ultimately had also allowed the middle-order to flourish in its natural way. While Rohit Sharma, as usual, had scored a solid 34-ball 64, even Virat Kohli with his usual gameplay had batted deep finishing with an unbeaten 80* from 52 balls.
However, while in reality there is very little chance of this duo indulging themselves at the top for the World T20, their actual dwelling as openers can certainly help team India to break away from its traditional conservative gameplay. 
Especially with both Virat and Rohit playing the most balls at the top, India can cast peppy and explosive batters like Ishan Kishan at number three who then collectively with the entire middle-order can indulge themselves into playing some fire-powering cricket.
Specifically with players like <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/taking-ms-dhonis-legacy-forward-twitter-lauds-ishan-kishan-for-effecting-a-lightning-fast-stumping-in-first-sl-t20i/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ishan Kishan</a> who can whack from the go or even Shreyas Iyer who can take spinners for cleaners can place themselves much higher in the batting order to provide the acceleration in the middle passage of play. 
And with both Rohit and Virat also being known to bat deep, even the lower middle order can directly come into the fore if it&#8217;s the second half or late end of the innings. Overall, the opening of the skipper and its deputy surely gives team India the benefit of casting a much explosive batting order rather than their traditional approach. 

<h3 class="p3">4. Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan</h3>
<figure id="attachment_457018" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-457018" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-457018" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ishan-Kishan-and-Rohit-Sharma.jpg" alt="Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-457018" class="wp-caption-text">Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
Now with Suryakumar Yadav almost cementing himself for a number four slot, the chances are that there might be a toss-up between either Ishan Kishan or <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/shreyas-iyer-mohammed-siraj-included-as-reetinder-sodhi-names-indias-squad-for-icc-t20-world-cup-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shreyas Iyer</a> as another backup batter, only if the team wants to add an extra bowler in the final-fifteen squad. Also, overall Ishan’s selection in the final fifteen can take precedence over others, merely because of him being capable enough to bat anywhere in the top five. 
Perhaps, apart from the above three opening combinations, team India can cast the southpaw at the top as he is very capable of giving some explosive starts. Also, last year in the UAE conditions, Ishan Kishan had smacked most sixes in IPL 2020 along with piling a stack of 516 runs. Further, since the left-handed batter likes taking the spinners for sixes, he can be used at the top as a surprise element especially against quality spin attacks. 
Overall, to even fetch a swashbuckling start against any specific opposition, Ishan Kishan can be tactically sent at the top as apparently, his left-hand proposition is a luxury that can be placed anywhere in the top five.

<h3 class="p3">5. Rohit Sharma and Prithvi Shaw</h3>
<figure id="attachment_335130" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-335130" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-335130" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Rohit-Sharma-Prithvi-Shaw.jpg" alt="Rohit Sharma - Prithvi Shaw" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-335130" class="wp-caption-text">Rohit Sharma &#8211; Prithvi Shaw. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
The year 2021 has brought in a different vitality to <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/suryakumar-yadav-and-prithvi-shaw-test-covid-19-negative-set-to-join-team-india-in-england/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Prithvi Shaw’s</a> overall batting which also now has raised an outside chance of him getting picked for the upcoming World T20. Although he might be miles behind even to cast himself as a reserve opener, his recent truckload of runs and his mounting strike rate can become an alluring option to instantaneously infuse him in case the team gets brimmed with injuries.
Now although the 21-year old is yet to score a run in T20Is, Shaw had an outbursting IPL 2021 where he was belting bowlers for fun and runs. From all of his 8 IPL games, the right-hander in total had scored 308 runs at a hefty strike rate of 166.48. Even his shot selection seems to have gotten improved especially in the power plays where he recklessly used to take the aerial root. 
Overall, while the remainder of the IPL 2021 in UAE can certainly pose some different challenges to his explosive style of batting, the DC-based cricketer also has an excellent chance to soar himself in the big 25-member squad of the upcoming World T20.

With plenty of players in form, the Indian team management has the tough task of picking the opening combination.

5 Opening combinations Team India can try in the 2021 T20 World Cup

The 7th edition of the T20 World Cup is now less than three months away and yet again our beloved team India is in an uncertain position