West Indies cricket legend Brian Lara has named his top three of the Indian cricket team for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20I World Cup 2024, which will be held in the Caribbean and USA.
Lara picked Indian captain Rohit Sharma and senior batter Virat Kohli in his top order, but he doesn’t want them to open for the Men in Blue in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024, starting on June 1.
However, the legendary batter suggested the Indian selectors choose the players according to their demands, regardless of their names, for the upcoming mega-showpiece event.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are great players with a lot of experience: Brian Lara
Brian Lara said at the ‘Star Sports Press Room’: “Both Rohit and Virat are great players with a lot of experience. They will serve India very well if they are going to the World Cup. But I think when you are picking your team and your batting order, you’ve got to pick based on what you want the players to do… Doesn’t matter who fills that spot.”
Lara highlighted the importance of selecting players based on their ability to score quickly rather than solely on their reputation for the upcoming T20 World Cup in 2024. He feels India needs young blood at the top order with a senior opener like Rohit to achieve a score of 70-80 runs in the first six overs.
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He admitted that Rohit and Kohli are great players, but it is important to have younger players to provide a dynamic start to the innings in the format. He suggested either Rohit or Kohli should bat lower down the order to stabilize the innings as if they open the innings, it can have a negative impact on the team.
The former West Indies captain believes that Kohli should bat at No. 3 and Rohit should open for India with Shubman Gill in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. He stressed that India needs Kohli if they want to win the coveted T20 World Cup trophy this year.
Brian Lara names India’s top 3 for T20 World Cup 2024
Lara stated, “My top three in the Indian batting order will be Rohit, Gill and Virat. Every T20 team needs a guy to anchor the innings together. He should not necessarily be a match-winner, but his job is to hold an end, minimise the number of balls faced and give the strike to big hitters. Players like Aiden Markram and Virat Kohli are the sort of players needed in a team around some big hitters if it is to win the Cup.”
The legendary batter also shared his views on Kohli’s strike rate in the ongoing IPL 2024, stressing that a strike rate of 130–140 is sufficient for openers, but if a player is batting in the middle or lower order, a strike rate of 150 or above is a must.
Lara further mentioned that high scores are common in the ongoing IPL 2024, so a strike rate above 200 in the latter part of the innings is crucial for a team to have any chance of winning.
He suggested that, as an opener, one can start with a strike rate above 200 and eventually finish with a strike rate of about 160–170, but a team cannot rely solely on one player.
