India is preparing for the 2022 T20 World Cup. India’s first game will be on October 23rd against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. In the last edition, the Indian openers had a tough time. There were many calls to change this combination for the future. However, the men in blue are likely to have a similar combination for the 2022 T20 WC, too. On that note, here, we take a look at two opening combinations India might try during the ICC T20 World Cup 2022.
1) Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul
Rohit Sharma – KL Rahul has scored the most runs as a pair in T20I history for India.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 2, 2022
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Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul opened in the majority of the games for India at the 2021 T20 WC. However, since then, they have hardly spent time together on the pitch. This has mainly been because of the injury problems of the duo. Nevertheless, in recent tournaments, Rohit and KL have started opening together again.
In the new approach by the Indian Team, both Rohit and KL are contributing better to the team’s cause. They are batting with intent and this is allowing the middle-order batters to operate with lesser pressure. Considering India used this combination in recent series, the management is likely to stick with his duo for the 2022 T20 WC, too.
2) Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant
A look at the pitch for our practice match against Western Australia.
Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant walk out to open the innings. pic.twitter.com/Qzxs10zPUJ
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 10, 2022
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In one of the tournaments, Rahul Dravid explored the idea of Rishabh Pant as Rohit Sharma‘s opening partner. Pant opened the batting in U19 cricket and hence, it was not a new role for him. In the recent practice game, too, Rohit and Rishabh opened the batting for India.
The advantage of this idea is that India would have a left-hand right-hand combination. Moreover, Pant is a naturally aggressive batter and could make maximum use of the powerplay. With him at the crease, the opposition captain would think twice before introducing a left-arm spinner. This will safeguard Rohit’s wicket because the Indian skipper is vulnerable to this type of bowling. However, Pant’s current form is not exactly great and India might only treat this combination as a backup option.
