T20 World Cup: Brian Lara backs India’s opening combination despite a string of failures

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Suresh Raina

Legendary West Indies cricketer Brian Lara has recently voiced his support for the Indian cricket team’s opening combination of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Despite the duo’s recent lack of form in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, Lara firmly believes that India should persist with them.

Brian Lara backs Rohit-Virat pair at the T20 World Cup

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, two of the most accomplished batsmen in the world, have had a disappointing run in the tournament so far. Kohli, in particular, has struggled to find his rhythm, scoring just 1 (5), 4 (3), and 0 (1) in the three matches. Sharma, on the other hand, started the tournament well with a half-century against Ireland (52 off 37) but failed to maintain the momentum in the subsequent matches, scoring 13 and 3.

Despite their underwhelming performance, Lara has backed the star duo to come good. He stated, “I believe that the combination India is having and India has to back the two of them. At some point in time, they’re going to come good with conditions, the batting conditions in the USA were not the very best. I don’t believe you start making changes especially if you’re winning.”

Lara’s confidence stems from the duo’s proven track record and their ability to bounce back from tough situations. Both Sharma and Kohli have been instrumental in India’s past successes, and their experience and skills are invaluable to the team.

There have been calls to bring in Yashasvi Jaiswal, an attacking southpaw, to open the innings and push Kohli to No.3. However, Lara opines that such a change could disrupt the team’s balance and unsettle the batting order.

The West Indies legend’s endorsement comes at a crucial juncture in the tournament. India has qualified for the Super 8 stages after winning their initial three games. The team’s performance in the upcoming matches will be critical in determining their fate in the tournament.

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