Jaiswal, Gill or Kohli – Who will open with Rohit in T20Is vs AFG?

Ind vs Afg: While some feel the Rohit-Kohli opening would be a step back, others feel it is the best combination with the T20 World Cup approaching.

Mumbai: We are about three days away from the start of the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, and the big question is – who will open with captain Rohit Sharma. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill are the top contenders to open with the India captain, but a report on The Telegraph suggested that Rohit could open with Kohli. The two have opened in the past, but will they do so again? While some feel that opening Rohit-Kohli would be a step back, others feel it is the best combination with the T20 World Cup approaching.

The argument is that if Rohit and Kohli had to open, why did the team back Gill and Jaiswal for about 14 months? Also, with Rohit and Kohli coming back into the mix, where will Jaiswal and Gill fit in. Reports suggest that Rohit and Kohli are still not guaranteed for the T20 World Cup and have been reinstated in the squad in the absence of Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya.

The three matches against Afghanistan would be India’s last chance to determine their side for the big event later this year. A few players like Sanju Samson would know that they could make the T20I World Cup squad if they can put up a good show in the series against Afghanistan.

Indian squad for Afghanistan T20Is: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh , Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar.

The opening T20I will take place on January 11 in Mohali.