Virat Kohli Picks Chris Gayle Over Rohit Sharma as the Greatest-Ever T20 Opener

After IPL 2026, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will represent India in a home series against Afghanistan, marking their international return together.

Virat Kohli Picks Chris Gayle Over Rohit Sharma as the Greatest-Ever T20 Opener

Virat Kohli picked Chris Gayle as the greatest T20 opener, ahead of India teammate Rohit Sharma. (via NDTV Sports)

In Short
  • Virat Kohli named Chris Gayle as the greatest T20 opener over Rohit Sharma during a social media discussion.
  • Kohli has scored 8,661 runs in the IPL, while Rohit Sharma has 7,046 runs in the same league.
  • BCCI is considering increasing the number of ODIs in the 2026-27 schedule due to the limited appearances of Kohli and Sharma.

Indian cricketing icon Virat Kohli, in a game of ‘This or That’, made a surprising pick when he was asked about the player he feels is the greatest T20 opener. Kohli chose to go with his former RCB teammate Chris Gayle over his national team compatriot Rohit Sharma. 

The all-time highest run-getter in the IPL, Virat Kohli, is unique in being the only player to have represented a single franchise since 2008. The 2025 season will remain the most memorable for the 37-year-old veteran, given that he won his first major piece of silverware with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Kohli also finished the season as the third-highest run-getter, having scored 657 runs at an average of 54.75. Overall, Kohli has scored 8,661 runs in 267 matches in the IPL, including eight hundreds and 63 fifties.

Trailing him is fellow IPL legend Rohit Sharma, who has amassed 7,046 runs over 272 appearances. While the two veterans share a brilliant rapport both on and off the field, Kohli most recently opted not to choose Sharma when asked for his pick of the greatest T20 opener of all time, during a social media discussion.

Playing a game of ‘This or That’, Kohli was given two choices several times, and he had to pick one each time. He started by picking Adam Gilchrist over Sunil Narine, then opted for Travis Head over Gilchrist, and finally chose Virender Sehwag over Head.

After snubbing several names for Sehwag, he was then asked to pick between Sehwag and Chris Gayle. Kohli then affirmed Gayle as the ‘greatest ever’ when it came down to choosing between him and Rohit Sharma in the final round.

Interestingly, Kohli did affirm at times in the video that he would pick Sharma in ODIs. Coming to his selection of Gayle, the Caribbean legend holds the record for the most runs scored by a batter in the shortest format, with 14,562 runs in 455 innings. The retired West Indies legend is best remembered for his historic 175-run knock that came off 66 balls, for RCB against Pune Warriors India in IPL 2013. 

Unlike Gayle, Kohli is still an active cricketer and will next be seen in action in IPL 2026. He is scheduled to join the Royal Challengers Bengaluru pre-season camp soon, after having completed a personal training regimen in London. 

Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma impact: BCCI to increase number of ODIs in the 2026-27 schedule

Given that Indian cricket veterans Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are only participating in the 50-over format internationally, the BCCI is reportedly considering increasing the number of ODI matches. This may involve adding extra ODIs beyond what is currently scheduled.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma ODIs
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will only play ODIs for India until the 2027 World Cup. (via Business Standard)

The two modern-day greats have already retired from Tests and T20Is, and are likely to hang up their boots after the 2027 ODI World Cup. This leaves the cricket community with only 18 months to see Kohli and Sharma in Team India colours. Furthermore, there is growing worry about the reducing significance of ODIs in the international schedule, as cricket boards worldwide focus heavily on the other two formats.

Thereafter, the cricket boards of New Zealand and Sri Lanka have requested the BCCI to add more ODI matches for the upcoming tours. With the Men in Blue set to travel to England for a series in July, talks have also emerged of two additional ODIs. Moreover, Cricket Ireland is reportedly in talks with the BCCI to arrange a possible series that would coincide with India’s time in England, either before or after.

Moreover, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are set to play additional matches due to a change in India’s 2026-27 tour schedule to New Zealand. Following a request from New Zealand Cricket (NZC), the series, originally planned to have three ODIs, will now feature five.

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