'Virat Kohli Not In My Team...,' Matthew Hayden On Virat's Place In T20 World Cup 2024

Matthew Hayden's Bold Take For Virat Kohli

Matthew Hayden believes Kohli doesn't deserve a spot in the team unless he opens the batting. Currently, Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal are vying for the second opener's position in the Indian squad.

"You have to have a left-right combination. You can't have five right-handers in a row. Australia would just say hello to Zampa. Kohli has to open or he does not play in my team. He is in absolute red-hot form," Hayden said.

The Australian legend also suggested that Rohit Sharma could move to the middle order. Hayden isn't the first to propose a role change for the India captain, but it seems unlikely that Rohit is considering such a shift.

"Rohit is a versatile player and does not shy away from batting away in that middle order. He has a successful record in T20I cricket batting at No. 4 and he can lead the batting group from the early middle order," he added.

Previously, former India batter Suresh Raina had supported Kohli for the No. 3 spot in the T20 World Cup.

"I prefer Virat to play at No. 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. With the pitches and conditions in the United States expected to be slow, in my opinion, Virat should play at No. 3," Raina had told reporters during an event in Delhi.

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