Cricket News: Virat Kohli might open in the Asia Cup alongside Rohit Sharma

Lately, India has been seen experimenting a lot with their opening pair. With team India gripped by the opening batting conundrum, fans and many former cricketers are reckoning that the upcoming Asia Cup might hold the answer to this dilemma. 

Amidst all the experiments, former Indian cricketer Parthiv Patel came up with a different suggestion. He said, "You might just see Virat Kohli open in the Asia Cup because KL Rahul is not fit, as of now. And India has tried a lot of other openers. They have tried Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant, and Suryakumar Yadav in this series."

With KL Rahul's availability still under clouds and India already having tried seven different opening combinations, using out-of-form Virat Kohli at top-order might do good. He will be walking into the tournament after taking a long break and missing out on the West Indies and Zimbabwe tours. Thus, promoting him up the order might do good for his form.

"There is no doubt about Virat Kohli's abilities. It is just about the form, it is just about which position you want him to play. That is why the Asia Cup becomes very crucial. Not for him, just for India's point of view also whether they get the right combination or not," Parthiv Patel said.  

Speculations and assumptions will remain a thing to see what combination India goes for when their campaign kicks off against arch-rivals Pakistan on 28th August 2022. 

Will the Asia cup and two series against South Africa and Australia seal Virat Kohli's future in the short format?

A question that didn't exist a few years before, and everyone was simply confident with Virat Kohli's form, and time has shown no mercy to the legend as the question on his World Cup inclusion has started rising. 

India's go-to batter in the T20 format has been in his slump form for quite a long time and will be available to play Asia Cup after a long break from cricket. While his form is a matter of concern, many young players like Deepak Hooda, Suryakumar Yadav, and Ishan Kishan, who have been attempting to prove their worth at every chance, are surrounded by uncertainties. 

Virat Kohli is just too good of a player and contributor to ignore. To say he hasn't scored enough won't be fair, but if he is fit for the playing XI of the World Cup, it is still doubtful.

While Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid preach an attacking and aggressive play by Indian batters, can Virat Kohli's conservative approach fit in well?

With the Asia Cup and two series against South Africa and Australia on cards for team India, everyone will scrutinise his performance for the World Cup. And heavy criticism at such a time might pressure management to take a firm decision on his future in the T20 format.