The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announce India’s squad for the Asia Cup. The likes of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul have returned to the squad.
Speaking on Cricbuzz, the 37-year-old former wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel made a statement on Virat Kohli. He added that Kohli will get a chance to play freely if he opens for India.
Virat Kohli skipped the recently-concluded West Indies tour. He should have played five T20Is to gain some confidence before heading into the upcoming marquee tournaments.
However, he preferred to rest in the first place. In fact, he has also been rested for the upcoming team’s tour of Zimbabwe. India will play three ODIs against Zimbabwe.
“I would want Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to open. I want Kohli to open so that he can just go out and unleash himself. He’s taken a break, but we all know there’s no shortage of ability in his batting style.
“As an opener, you start the game at 0-0. Whereas at No.3, you have to play according to the situation. Kohli can play the way he wants and can still play at a strike rate of 170, and if two wickets have fallen early, he can also play at 130,” he said.
Parthiv Patel also added that Virat Kohli doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone because the run-machine has already delivered the goods for the Indian cricket team more often than not.
“You want Kohli to play as freely as he can. There’s no pressure on him and he doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone. He’s already scored 70 hundreds and has scored plenty of runs,” Parthiv added.