Former India batter Parthiv Patel has said that Virat Kohli might open alongside Rohit Sharma in the upcoming Asia Cup.
“There is no doubt about Virat Kohli’s abilities. It is just about the form and about which position you want him to play. That is why Asia Cup becomes very crucial, not only for him but for India’s point of view also, whether they get the right combination or not. I will keep saying about the combination because that would be the key,” said Parthiv on Cricbuzz.
“You might even see Virat Kohli opening in the Asia Cup as KL Rahul is not fit. They said he will be available from Asia Cup and India have tried so many other openers. Virat Kohli has been comfortable opening with RCB. He has got all those big seasons, where he came as an opener,” he added.
The debate on Virat Kohli’s form continued after he failed to register big scores in the T20Is or ODIs against England. He was rested from the ODIs against West Indies that followed and is not in the squad for the T20Is either.
Earlier, it was confirmed that Asia Cup will be hosted by Sri Lanka in the UAE. The tournament was moved out of Sri Lanka due to the ongoing economic crisis.
The match against Pakistan would be India’s first fixture in the upcoming Asia Cup, and after this match, the Rohit Sharma-led side will face off against a Qualifier. After the group stage fixtures, there would be a Super 4 phase, and the best two teams will progress to the finals.
Earlier, while announcing the move of shifting the Asia Cup from Sri Lanka to UAE, the Asian Cricket Council President Jay Shah said: “Considering the prevailing situation in Sri Lanka, the ACC after extensive deliberation has unanimously concluded that it would be appropriate to relocate the tournament from Sri Lanka to the UAE,” the ACC said in a statement.”
“Every effort was made to host the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and the decision to shift the venue to the UAE was taken after much deliberation. The UAE will be the new venue while Sri Lanka will continue to retain hosting rights,” he added.
