Can India afford Rohit-Rahul-Kohli in the same XI?
The Asia Cup 2022 has come to a close for Team India, and shockingly, tournament favourites did not make the finals after losing two out of the three Super 4 games. This is especially shocking considering that they came on the back of series wins against England and West Indies away from home and wins in the first two games of the Asia Cup group stage.
One of the biggest letdowns in those losses has been India’s bowling, especially in the death. Likewise, another area in the team that is worth taking a closer look at is the top-order combination of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli. Coming into the tournament, Kohli’s place in the team was an extensively discussed subject given the lack of form, especially with the next crop of players threatening to take his number three spot.
Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle, on Cricbuzz, went on to say that the Asia Cup might be where Kohli would be auditioning for a place in the Indian team going forward. However, with two half-centuries and a century in the tournament, he has answered all the doubts and cemented his place in the team. Skipper Rohit, on the other hand, was also on the firing line for not scoring enough runs lately.
Rohit scored 133 runs in four matches at an average of 33.25 and a strike rate of 151.13 in the Asia Cup 2022. Although it is not a groundbreaking record for an Indian opener, these are respectable numbers and he has shown intent and fearlessness, something that is expected of a T20 opener. And it could be a matter of time before he gets the consistency.
Rahul, on the other hand, has not quite cut the mustard with the bat since returning from the groin injury. He scored 132 runs in five matches at an average of 26.40 and a strike rate of 122.22 in the Asia Cup. Having been out of the team for close to three months, a bit of rustiness was expected out of him but a major concern was the lack of intent. It appeared as though there was a fear of getting out since the element of risk-taking was virtually non-existent.
With the all-important T20 World Cup coming up, one of the many things that the Indian management would have to find answers to is – can they afford Rohit, Rahul and Kohli in the same XI? It is safe to say that these three players, on their own, are top-class players. And they have mostly played in their best-suited positions whenever they have played together. However, with Kohli scoring a hundred as an opener, the management could contemplate the possibility of promoting Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav and dropping Rahul, if the Indian vice-captain fails to get into the groove soon enough.
