Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma Opening Pair in T20 World Cup 2024: Indian Fans Abuzz with Reactions on Social Media

By Lokmat English Desk | Updated: June 5, 2024 20:58 IST2024-06-05T20:49:53+5:302024-06-05T20:58:14+5:30

Indian cricket fans took to social media to express their excitement after captain Rohit Sharma announced that Virat Kohli ...

Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma Opening Pair in T20 World Cup 2024: Indian Fans Abuzz with Reactions on Social Media | Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma Opening Pair in T20 World Cup 2024: Indian Fans Abuzz with Reactions on Social Media

Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma Opening Pair in T20 World Cup 2024: Indian Fans Abuzz with Reactions on Social Media

Indian cricket fans took to social media to express their excitement after captain Rohit Sharma announced that Virat Kohli would open the batting alongside him in India's 2024 T20 World Cup match against Ireland on Wednesday.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, the other designated opener, was left out of the playing XI. Kohli, who recently showcased stellar form while opening for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2024, clinching the Orange Cap with 741 runs in 15 innings, is expected to bring his aggressive batting style to the international stage.

Kohli also boasts an impressive record as an opener in T20Is, having scored 400 runs from nine innings at an average of 57.14 and a strike rate of 161.29. Fans expressed optimism about his partnership with Sharma, anticipating a strong start for India in the tournament.

Here are some of the top reactions:

India's captain Rohit Sharma and senior batter Virat Kohli formed the opening combination as the 2007 champions won the toss and elected to bowl first against Ireland in their first Group A match of the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

India, who have won all of their previous seven T20I encounters against Ireland, opted for four fast-bowling options including vice-captain Hardik Pandya. They also included spinners Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja, leaving no room for wrist-spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.

"Our preparation has been alright, it has been quite challenging but we are professionals and you've got to get on with what's in front of you. We played on a similar pitch in our warm-up game against Bangladesh so I do think we know what to expect from the conditions. At the end of the day, you've got to use your experience and adapt to the day," said Rohit.

"It is going to be slightly different to conditions that we are used to but that is how cricket goes, you have got to be ready for it. I think because we don't fully know what to expect, it will be helpful for us to have a target when we are batting," he added.

Rishabh Pant, making his international cricket comeback after 17 months and 12 days due to injuries suffered in a life-threatening car accident in December 2022, is slotted at three, followed by Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, and Pandya at four, five, and six respectively.

Ireland captain Paul Stirling said they are fielding three seamers and two spinners, with the all-rounders to back them up. "We would've bowled too, there's a bit of cloud cover but now we've just got to get our pads on and get a score on the board. We feel like our prep has been pretty good. We're just looking forward to this game."

"We've got plenty of match-winners in our side and what an occasion this is for them to step up. We kept an eye on the games that have been played here so far, the scores have been quite indifferent, so we've just got to see what's in front of us and adapt accordingly," he added.

Playing XIs:

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Mohammed Siraj.

Ireland: Paul Stirling (c), Andrew Balbirnie, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Joshua Little, and Be

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