'Virat Kohli is our third opener and he will open in some matches'- Rohit Sharma on opening pair for 20-20 World Cup

Virat Kohli clinched his 71st century while batting as an opener in the Aisa Cup match against Afghanistan. The milestone that was being sought after since November 2019 has been a moment of relief for millions of cricket fans and so it was for Kohli.

After gazing at Kohli’s record when he plays as an opener, many have started to call for the right-hand batter to open the innings for the national side as well. Soon fans started to ask the question on social media and naturally, it reached the Indian captain Rohit Sharma as well.

When this question was put forth to Sharma ahead of the T20I series against Australia, the Indian captain said, “It’s always nice to have options available for you, especially if you are going into the tournament, you want that flexibility. It’s an option for us, and since we have not taken the third opener, he can obviously open.”

He added, “He opens for his franchise (Bangalore in Indian T20 League), and he has done really well. It’s a definite option for us.”

Rohit Sharma however has clarified that Kohli’s inclusion as the third opener would not mean much experimentation with the regular opening duo of KL Rahul and him.

“Virat Kohli is our third opener and he will open in some of the games. In the last match of Asia Cup, we were happy with the way he played. But KL Rahul will open the batting in the World Cup, his performance sometimes goes quite unnoticed, “he explained.

“He is a very important player for Team India. For us, I just want to make it clear, we are clear in our thought process. We do not have any confusion, we are very clear what KL Rahul brings to the table for us, he is a quality player and is very important for us. His presence at the top is very crucial for us," said Rohit about KL Rahul's importance.

Indian team is currently preparing to face Australia in a three-match T20I series at home from September 20th.