T20 World Cup 2024: Raina Weighs In On Rohit Sharma's Opening Partner

New Delhi, May 31: As Team India prepares for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, the primary question is the opening combination for the Men in Blue in the USA and West Indies.

Indian selectors have chosen Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli as potential opening partners for skipper Rohit Sharma for the ninth edition of the event.

Kohli, who opened for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2024, won the Orange Cap by scoring 714 runs. Despite his success as an opener in IPL, Kohli usually bats at number three in India's white-ball format.

Jaiswal had a less impressive IPL 2024 season with Rajasthan Royals, scoring 435 runs in 15 games at a strike rate of nearly 156. The left-handed batter has only played as an opener in international cricket, offering a left-and-right-hand combination with Rohit.

Former India cricketer Suresh Raina, part of India's 2007 T20 WC-winning team, has shared his opinion on the opening pair for the tournament in the Americas.

Raina believes Kohli should continue batting at number three while Jaiswal, who has a strike rate of 162 in T20Is, should open with Rohit Sharma.

"I prefer Virat to play at number 3 in the World Cup. He's a run machine. Yashasvi is in good form, and I'm sure he will do well as an opener. So, in my opinion, Virat should play at number 3," Raina told media persons on the sidelines of an event in New Delhi.

Team India will play a warm-up game against Bangladesh on Saturday (May 1) in New York. This match may provide insights into their batting combination for the tournament.

Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj. Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan.