Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma (Image Credit: Twitter)

Former Australian player Brad Hogg said Virat Kohli should open the innings with Indian skipper Rohit Sharma in T20 Internationals.

Indian batter Shreyas Iyer had a tremendous outing in the recently concluded T20I series against Sri Lanka as he toyed with the lines and lengths of the Sri Lankan bowlers. Iyer remained unbeaten in all three T20I matches against Sri Lanka as he accumulated 204 runs from three innings at a strike rate of 174.36.

Virat Kohli or Shreyas Iyer at No.3 in T20Is?

India swept the T20I series with another 3-0 whitewash as Iyer made 73 from 45 balls in the third T20I match against Sri Lanka on Sunday.

Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer. Image: BCCI

Iyer batted at No.3 as Kohli was rested for the T20I matches only for him to come back for a couple of Tests next month. The dilemma for the Indian think tank is how will they accommodate Iyer in the batting order once Kohli returns to the T20 set-up.

Virat Kohli should open the innings, Shreyas Iyer at No.3: Brad Hogg

Hogg is of the opinion that Kohli should open the innings, as he does in IPL for RCB, while Iyer could cement the No.3 position for the Indian team in the shortest format. Hogg also mentioned that in case Hardik Pandya is not fit to play then India can try Venkatesh Iyer at No.6 position in the batting order.

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“For me, if you’re going to have Kohli in the team, he should be opening the batting with Rohit. I’d like to have Shreyas Iyer coming in at No.3 and Pant at No.4. Have to try to get KL Rahul in there as well at some stage,” Hogg said on his YouTube channel.

“If Pandya is fit, he and Jadeja can feature at No.6 and 7. Suryakumar Yadav coming in at No.5. If Pandya is not fit, then Venkatesh Iyer coming in at No.6,” he added. 

After defeating Sri Lanka in the T20I series, India won their 12th T20I series to equal the record of Afghanistan.

Also Read: Virat Kohli Can’t Be Replaced: Sunil Gavaskar Explains How India Can Play Kohli And Shreyas Iyer In Their Batting