India vs England: ‘KL Rahul’s loss of form has been a blessing in disguise,’ reckons Sunil Gavaskar

India vs England: ‘KL Rahul’s loss of form has been a blessing in disguise,’ reckons Sunil Gavaskar

702917 623466 gavaskar sunil 110917 1024x576 2

The Indian cricket team registered an emphatic victory over England in the T20I series decider played on March 20 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. Virat Kohli’s men beat the visiting side by 36 runs to clinch the 5-match series 3-2. 

Indian skipper Virat Kohli came out to open the batting alongside Rohit Sharma as KL Rahul was dropped from the playing XI owing to his poor form. Both of them played scintillating knocks of 80* and 64 to help the home team post a mammoth total of 224-2 on the board.

Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar hailed Virat Kohli for his decision of moving himself up in the batting order. He also said that Rahul’s poor form turned out to be a blessing in disguise as Virat got the opportunity to promote himself.

Also Read | India vs England 2021: “I am going to open in the IPL” – Virat Kohli after crucial knock as opener in the fifth T20I

“Your best batsman should bat the most number of overs in limited-overs cricket. So it was very important for Virat Kohli to bat at the top of the order. So maybe, KL Rahul’s loss of form has been a blessing in disguise because this has given us an opening combination to look forward to,” Gavaskar told India Today.

‘Your best batsman has to bat maximum overs’

Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli came to open the batting during the fifth T20I

Gavaskar remembered the time when team India promoted Sachin Tendulkar’s batting spot in the playing XI. He added that Virat Kohli is the best batsman in this side and he needs to bat as many overs as he can.

“Like when Sachin Tendulkar was batting down the order in ODIs and then he was sent up to open the batting and what a transformation it had not just on his batting but the whole team. So clearly, your best batsman has to bat as many overs as they can,” Gavaskar added.

Also Read | India vs England 2021: “They outplayed us in big moments” – Eoin Morgan says India ‘deserved to win’