India vs England: Virat Kohli confirms Team India's openers for the first T20I

Team India skipper Virat Kohli has confirmed the team’s opening combination ahead of the first T20I against England. With an eye on this year’s T20 World Cup, Team India will be looking to get the right team combination as soon as possible. This seventh edition of the tournament is scheduled to be played in October and November this year in India.

In recent times, several quarters have urged Team India to stick with Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul as the opening combination in T20Is. The reason behind it is incumbent Shikhar Dhawan’s struggle with the strike-rate in the shortest format of the game. In the last couple of years or so, Dhawan has faced criticism for failing to provide the team with a quick start.

Rahul, on the other hand, has proved himself as one of the best T20 openers in the country with his consistent performances in IPL as well as for India whenever he got the opportunity. Since July 2019, Rahul has scored 663 runs from 18 T20 innings with the help of seven fifties. During the same time period, Dhawan could only score 359 runs in 13 games.

More than the runs, it’s the difference in strike-rate that stands out. While Rahul has scored his runs at a strike-rate of 139.57, Dhawan could only maintain a modest strike-rate of 120.88. And as Dhawan and Rahul continue to perform in contrasting manners in the T20Is, several quarters backed the latter to be India’s opener in the shortest format of the game.

Team India’s openers?

Speaking on the eve of the first T20I in Ahmedabad, Virat Kohli confirmed that Rahul will open the innings along with Rohit. The India skipper praised the duo for their consistent performances at the top of the batting order. Kohli also stated that Dhawan would get a chance to open the innings only if the first-choice openers are injured.

“If Rohit plays, it’s simple. KL and Rohit have been consistently performing at the top. If either of them take rest, Shikhar is the third opener. Rohit and Rahul will start,” said Kohli.

Meanwhile, India will be eyeing a winning start in the series after the impressive win in Tests. The hosts will be high on confidence after winning the Test series 3-1. England will be also keen to bounce back and do well after the humiliating defeats in Tests.