Former captain Sourav Ganguly on Monday said Virat Kohli is capable of scoring 100 runs in 40 balls like Travis Head and he should open the batting with India captain Rohit Sharma in the upcoming T20 World Cup in the US. Kohli recently scored 100 off 67 balls against Rajasthan Royals, but was criticized for his strike-rate at a time when openers from other teams needed anything between 39 to 50 balls to touch the three-figure mark. It is falling.

“Virat Kohli also has the ability to score 100 runs in 40 balls. As I said in the beginning, India, with the talent they have, you just need to go and hit. The mindset should be to hit and then we will see What happens after 5-6 overs,” Ganguly told PTI during a select media interaction.

While Ganguly would like the selection committee, coach Rahul Dravid and Rohit to take decisions in the best interest of the team during the T20 World Cup, he would ideally like to see a Kohli-Rohit opening combination.

“If you ask me and this is just my personal opinion and I am not saying that the selectors should do it, because at the end of the day, it is their decision, Rohit and Virat should open.”

After a stellar home Test series against England, has Yashasvi Jaiswal fallen off the radar in terms of T20 World Cup selection, considering his recent IPL form? Ganguly responded, “I don’t think Yashasvi’s name has gone too far down the ladder. He is a special player.”

For him, selection for the T20 World Cup should not be based on one IPL season.

“You have to look at every performance. A good team is a balance of experience and youth. The experienced players in India are tremendous and I am not just saying that because of the number of games they have played, but it is because of the performances they have put in. Is.” It’s incredible over time.

“So from that point of view, there should be a mix of youth and youth in it. I am sure the selectors are mature enough to see not just one IPL but 2, 3, 4 IPLs with time.

Ganguly said, “Players like Shivam Dubey did this last year also. You gave him a chance for India, he did wonders there too. So they have done this after some time, Rishabh Pant, Dubey, Surya.” His perspective.

Rohit is about to turn 37, Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja will turn 36 by the end of this year. Does he feel that there is a need to bring more young players into the team? “There’s nothing about young and old, it’s about how good you are and that’s what’s important to me. Jimmy Anderson on how playing Test cricket as a fast bowler at the age of 41 and a Bowling 30 overs in a Test match? “So there is no hard and fast rule for anything. The only strict rules are talent, ability and performance. Look at MS Dhoni. He bats for 2 overs and hits 4 sixes. I would really like him to bat more, but just look at how good he is.”

KL should just remain fearless.

Ganguly has always been a big supporter of KL Rahul’s talent and his range of strokes, and the only thing he wants from the LSG skipper is fearlessness.

“But for India, the most important thing in T20 cricket and I told Rahul the same in Australia (T20 World Cup), just play without fear. Just go and hit. Bat long. If you lose wickets you Can always control.” , but just go and kill.”

So what is it that Rahul should change? “I think it depends on what the captain and the coach instruct him to do in the middle. Last day I saw him play an innings against Chennai, which Lucknow won, I thought he was extraordinary. He played well at the top, gave orders and did exactly what needed to be done at that time.

“As I said, it is about playing freely and without any fear. That is important in T20 cricket. Virat, Rohit, Rishabh (Pant), Rahul, Surya (Yadav), Hardik (Pandya), Players like Shivam Dubey of CSK are extraordinary talents, they all have a lot of six-hitting ability.”

Can old wine work in a new bottle?

Following India’s disappointing semi-final performance and disappointing batting in the 2022 World T20 edition in Australia, barring a special effort from Virat Kohli against Pakistan, there has been a call to induct young guys with a fearless mindset and allow players to adapt to the shortest format. to be done. Express yourself without hesitation.

But two years later, almost the same core team is once again going to another global event in the shortest format. Can people with the same mentality change themselves? The Delhi Capitals team director, who is also a former BCCI president, advised the Indian team to play “fearless cricket”, something that Rohit did during the power play of the 2023 ODI World Cup and laid the foundation of India’s brilliant campaign. Kept. The final ended in a heart-breaking defeat.

“It’s not a huge change. He has the talent to make that change. We saw how Rohit Sharma batted in the 50-over World Cup. He came in and came out on top and that’s why we were such a good team.”

“They put so much pressure on the opposition in the first 7-8 overs, it gave the lower order a chance to breathe and I think Virat and Rohit should do the same. They are great players.”