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Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be opening the innings for Team India together for the first time ever in a T20I as India and England lock horns in the series decider in Ahmedabad. The Indian skipper said at the toss that he will be replacing an out-of-form KL Rahul at the top of the order.
Left-arm sensation T Natarajan has been included in the playing XI, giving the hosts six bowling options to work with.
Fans react to Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma opening together
Fans on social media are absolutely buzzing at the prospect of seeing Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma bat together at the top of the order. They also believe that the right decision has been made, given Rahul's form.
Here is what they had to say about Virat Kohli's decision to open:
Virat Kohli finally found some form in this series as his blazing innings of 73* and 77* showed why he is arguably the best batsman across all three formats. But many believed that the No. 4 position wasn't ideal for a player of his class and potential.
He has also had tremendous success opening the batting in the shortest format, having done so for RCB in that magical 2016 IPL season, where he hit a ridiculous four centuries and amassed 973 runs. Thus, Kohli opening with the explosive Rohit could be a match made in heaven.
T Natarajan was also superb in his debut T20I series Down Under, where he picked up six wickets and was excellent at the death. He will surely bolster the Indian bowling attack, giving them an extra weapon to attack the formidable England batting line-up.
Team India seemed to have found the formula for speeding up the innings while batting first in the last game. They will be hopeful of a similar performance this time around too, as a huge total is needed due to the dew factor.
With the series tied at 2-2, this game promises to be an absolute humdinger.
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