Amid rising debate over Virat Kohli's promotion as an opener for India in T20Is, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has said he and the team management are open to being flexible ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia next month. Kohli has been touted by many to replace opening batter KL Rahul at the top after returning to form in the recently-concluded Asia Cup 2022

Kohli had smashed his 71st international century while opening the batting in India's final Super Four game against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup, sparking a debate if he should continue batting at the top for the Indian team in the shortest format.

Ahead of the start of India's three-match T20I series against Australia at home, skipper Rohit was asked if Kohli can be considered for the opening slot in the T20 World Cup. The Indian captain said Kohli is a 'definite option' for the team as an opener as he has done well opening for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL as well.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/imagine-the-amount-of-insecurity-rahul-will-be-feeling-gambhir-on-talks-of-kohli-opening-for-india-in-t20is-517324">Imagine the amount of insecurity Rahul will be feeling: Gambhir on talks of Kohli opening for India in T20Is</a>

"It is always nice to have options available for you. It is important going into a World Cup that you have flexibility. You want the players to be in best shape batting at any position. When we try and do something new, that does not mean that's a problem," Rohit said during the presser.

"For us, we understand the quality of all our players and what they bring for us. But yeah, it is an option (Virat Kohli opening) for us, we will always keep that in mind. Since we have not taken a third opener, he opens for his franchise in the IPL and he has done really well, so it is a definite option for us," he explained.

However, Rohit insisted Rahul remains India's first-choice opener and Kohli will only come into the picture if his performances dip in the T20 World Cup. The Hitman confirmed Kohli will be India's third opener and might play a few matches ahead of Rahul in the showpiece event next month.

"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, we do not want to experiment with that position a lot, his performance sometimes goes quite unnoticed," said Rohit.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/bcci-came-under-pressure-former-pakistan-star-on-sanju-samson-being-appointed-as-india-a-captain-517312">'BCCI came under pressure': Former Pakistan star on Sanju Samson being appointed as India A captain</a>

India will look to fine-tune their preparations for the T20 World Cup next month when they lock horns with Australia in a three-match T20I series starting on Tuesday. The first match will be played at the PCA Stadium in Mohali followed by the next two encounters in Nagpur and Hyderabad.

Amid rising debate over Virat Kohli's promotion as an opener for India in T20Is, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has said he and the team management are open to being flexible ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia next month.

Amid rising debate over Virat Kohli's promotion as an opener for India in T20Is, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has said he and the team management are open to being flexible ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia next month. Kohli has been touted by many to replace opening batter KL Rahul at the top after returning to form in the recently-concluded Asia Cup 2022 Kohli had smashed his 71st international century while opening the batting in India's final Super Four game against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup, sparking a debate if he should continue batting at the top for the Indian team in the shortest format. Ahead of the start of India's three-match T20I series against Australia at home, skipper Rohit was asked if Kohli can be considered for the opening slot in the T20 World Cup. The Indian captain said Kohli is a 'definite option' for the team as an opener as he has done well opening for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL as well. Also Read: Imagine the amount of insecurity Rahul will be feeling: Gambhir on talks of Kohli opening for India in T20Is "It is always nice to have options available for you. It is important going into a World Cup that you have flexibility. You want the players to be in best shape batting at any position. When we try and do something new, that does not mean that's a problem," Rohit said during the presser. "For us, we understand the quality of all our players and what they bring for us. But yeah, it is an option (Virat Kohli opening) for us, we will always keep that in mind. Since we have not taken a third opener, he opens for his franchise in the IPL and he has done really well, so it is a definite option for us," he explained. However, Rohit insisted Rahul remains India's first-choice opener and Kohli will only come into the picture if his performances dip in the T20 World Cup. The Hitman confirmed Kohli will be India's third opener and might play a few matches ahead of Rahul in the showpiece event next month. "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, we do not want to experiment with that position a lot, his performance sometimes goes quite unnoticed," said Rohit. Also Read: 'BCCI came under pressure': Former Pakistan star on Sanju Samson being appointed as India A captain India will look to fine-tune their preparations for the T20 World Cup next month when they lock horns with Australia in a three-match T20I series starting on Tuesday. The first match will be played at the PCA Stadium in Mohali followed by the next two encounters in Nagpur and Hyderabad.

Virat Kohli opening in T20 World Cup definitely an option for us, says Indian skipper Rohit Sharma

Indian captain Rohit Sharma responded to Virat Kohli's critics in a firm fashion during the press conference ahead of the upcoming T20I series between India and West Indies. The two teams will lock horns in the first T20I of the three-match rubber on Wednesday (February 16). After completing a 3-0 whitewash in the ODIs, India will be looking to get off to a winning start in the T20Is.

Ahead of the first T20I between India and West Indies, captain Rohit Sharma addressed questions from reporters surrounding Kohli's ongoing lean patch for the Indian team across formats. Kohli had a below-par campaign in the ODI series against West Indies as he managed to score only 26 runs in three matches. The former India captain, who has not scored an international century since November 2019, has seen pressure mounting on him to bounce back to form.

When asked about Kohli's poor form, Rohit snapped back at the reporters and took a dig at the media urging the journalists to 'keep quiet for a while'. The Hitman said Kohli is in a great mental space and said he knows how to handle pressure having played international cricket for over a decade now.

"If you guys can keep quiet for a while, I think he'll be alright,"&nbsp;Rohit told the reporters at the presser.

"He is in a great mental space. He has been a part of this team for more than a decade. Such a player knows how to handle the environment and pressure. If you guys can keep it quiet for a bit, everything will fall in place," he added.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/india-vs-wi-t20is-bcci-name-rishabh-pant-as-rohit-sharmas-deputy-in-kl-rahuls-absence-453395">India vs WI, T20Is: BCCI name Rishabh Pant as Rohit Sharma's deputy in KL Rahul's absence</a>

Ahead of the start of the T20I series against West Indies, BCCI on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant as the vice-captain of the Indian team in the absence of KL Rahul. Rahul will miss the series due to an injury and in his absence, Pant will act as Rohit's deputy in the three-match series.

Earlier, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Deepak Hood had been included in the Indian T20I squad as replacements for injured KL Rahul and Axar Patel for the upcoming series against West Indies.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma responded to Virat Kohli's critics in a firm fashion during the press conference ahead of the upcoming T20I series between India and West Indies.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma responded to Virat Kohli's critics in a firm fashion during the press conference ahead of the upcoming T20I series between India and West Indies. The two teams will lock horns in the first T20I of the three-match rubber on Wednesday (February 16). After completing a 3-0 whitewash in the ODIs, India will be looking to get off to a winning start in the T20Is. Ahead of the first T20I between India and West Indies, captain Rohit Sharma addressed questions from reporters surrounding Kohli's ongoing lean patch for the Indian team across formats. Kohli had a below-par campaign in the ODI series against West Indies as he managed to score only 26 runs in three matches. The former India captain, who has not scored an international century since November 2019, has seen pressure mounting on him to bounce back to form. When asked about Kohli's poor form, Rohit snapped back at the reporters and took a dig at the media urging the journalists to 'keep quiet for a while'. The Hitman said Kohli is in a great mental space and said he knows how to handle pressure having played international cricket for over a decade now. "If you guys can keep quiet for a while, I think he'll be alright," Rohit told the reporters at the presser. "He is in a great mental space. He has been a part of this team for more than a decade. Such a player knows how to handle the environment and pressure. If you guys can keep it quiet for a bit, everything will fall in place," he added. Also Read: India vs WI, T20Is: BCCI name Rishabh Pant as Rohit Sharma's deputy in KL Rahul's absence Ahead of the start of the T20I series against West Indies, BCCI on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant as the vice-captain of the Indian team in the absence of KL Rahul. Rahul will miss the series due to an injury and in his absence, Pant will act as Rohit's deputy in the three-match series. Earlier, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Deepak Hood had been included in the Indian T20I squad as replacements for injured KL Rahul and Axar Patel for the upcoming series against West Indies.

'If you guys can keep quiet..': Rohit Sharma tells reporters when asked about Virat Kohli's lean patch

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Virat Kohli opening in T20 World Cup definitely an option for us, says Indian skipper Rohit Sharma

'If you guys can keep quiet..': Rohit Sharma tells reporters when asked about Virat Kohli's lean patch