IPL 2021: Virender Sehwag proposes a new opening combination for Royal Challengers Bangalore

IPL 2021: Virender Sehwag proposes a new opening combination for Royal Challengers Bangalore

Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag believes the Royal Challengers Bangalore should open with Mohammed Azharuddeen, with skipper Virat Kohli returning to his number three spot to reinforce the middle order.

Sehwag suggests RCB should drop Patidar in place of Mohammed Azharuddeen, who has a strike rate of 142.27 in T20 cricket and made headlines earlier this year when he scored 137* against Mumbai in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match.

The No. 3 spot has been a source of worry for the RCB since Virat Kohli decided to open the batting. The management has tested various combinations at that position with the likes of Washington Sundar, Rajat Patidar and Shahbaz Ahmed, but nothing has worked out for them.

In the first seven games of this year’s IPL, Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal have been the team’s openers. Kohli, according to Virender Sehwag, should return to the No. 3 spot, where he has amassed a large number of runs for both RCB and India.

Virender Sehwag on RCB’s batting order

Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli

Virender Sehwag spoke about RCB’s batting order to Cricbuzz and said, “I think Virat should come back to his original position of number three and consider Mohammed Azharuddeen for the opening role. He looks like a better option than Patidar right now. Kohli should be No. 3, with Maxwell and ABD to follow.”

Since Mohammed Azharuddeen will bat further up the order, RCB’s middle order will consist of Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and AB de Villiers. Virender Sehwag assumes that this trio will save RCB during crucial stages.

“That (change in the order) would mean that you have three world-class players in the middle-order. If Devdutt Padikkal and Azharuddeen don’t do the job at the top, then these three are capable enough to bail the side out of trouble,” added Virender Sehwag.

In their most recent match, Royal Challengers Bangalore were defeated by Punjab Kings by 34 runs. They would be eyeing to bounce back in their next encounter against Kolkata Knight Riders on 3rd May at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.

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