Asia Cup 2022: Virat Kohli Might Open For India In The Tournament - Parthiv Patel

Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel opined that senior player Virat Kohli might open the batting order for India in the Asia Cup at the end of this month.

The Asia Cup 2022 schedule was announced on Tuesday after a long-awaited period. India have been put together with their arch-rivals Pakistan in the Group A with more team to join them through the qualifiers.

There is no doubt about Virat Kohli’s abilities: Parthiv Patel

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to announce the squad for the multi-team event. Kohli is currently on a break from the ongoing West Indies tour and will also miss the ODI series in Zimbabwe.

The former Indian skipper is expected to return to be available for selection in the Asia Cup. With Suryakumar Yadav currently opening the batting order with Rohit Sharma in the West Indies T20Is, Parthiv is of the opinion that Kohli might be used in the same capacity in the Asia Cup when he returns to the side.

“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 told Cricbuzz.

You might just see Virat Kohli open in the Asia Cup: Parthiv Patel

India’s regular opener KL Rahul has not played in the shortest format on the international stage for more than eight months. The series of injuries and concern over fitness has derailed his return to the Indian side. There is no confirmation on the Karnataka player’s availability in the Asia Cup.

India have tried opening with Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad in the bilateral series in the past couple of months.

“I keep saying about the combination because that would be the key. 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, Suryakumar Yadav in this series,” Patel mentioned.

India will play their first game in the Asia Cup 2022 against Pakistan in Dubai on August 28.

Also Read: “The More Virat Kohli Would’ve Played These Matches, The Better It Would Have Been” – Sanjay Manjrekar