In the T20I format, India has employed as many as seven openers in 2022, including skipper Rohit Sharma, with Ishan Kishan being the most popular pick. The kid has scored 419 runs with three fifties in 13 games as India’s opener. Despite Ishan’s solid performance as a backup opener to Rohit and KL Rahul, India has continued to experiment with the opening spot, with Suryakumar Yadav the most recent option. While the action has been heavily criticised by experts, Rohit provided a straightforward rationale for the continued experimentation.
Suryakumar, who has been a certainty as India’s No.4 hitter in T20Is, has never started for India in a limited-overs game. However, he opened for India in the first two matches of the recent West Indies series, walking in alongside Rohit at the start of the innings. On Monday, he had a 16-ball 24 in the first game and an 11-off-5 in the second.
While the move has been criticised by cricket analysts, Rohit noted that he wants hitters to be versatile in the lineup rather than committing to a specific position.
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“We want the guys to be able to bat wherever and not be limited to certain positions.” We want the boys to be adaptable; there are two approaches depending on the players,” he said during the toss on Tuesday.
Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif questioned the choice during the first game, noting that the squad had chosen Rishabh Pant as the opener in the preceding England series. He admits that the move perplexed him because Pant was only given two chances as an opener.
“Whatever that was, I had no idea what it was. If you were going to attempt Rishabh Pant as the opener for 2-3 matches, you should have done it today as well. Allow him at least five opportunities. And, according to captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid’s policy, they would back the players for at least 5-6 matches. “However, this did not happen with Pant,” he had stated.
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