- Kamran Akmal advised India to change their batting order.
- He suggests Virat Kohli should bat at no.3 instead of opening.
- Kohli was the top scorer in the recent IPL season as an opener.
The right-handed batsman suggests that India should rethink its batting order and position Virat Kohli at no.3, replacing him with Yashasvi Jaiswal as the opener.
Akmal justified his viewpoint by referring to the India vs Ireland match on Wednesday (June 5), where Kohli was out after scoring only one run from five balls. He believes the opener should be positioned at no.3 to guide the team during the middle overs.
“I don’t think the batting order is correct. Virat Kohli can take the pressure at No.3 and finish the match. That is very important for Team India. Yashasvi Jaiswal should open the batting. Kohli should come at 3,” said Akmal, who has played 268 games for Pakistan, in a video on his YouTube channel.
Meanwhile, India’s most successful Test captain has had a positive experience as an opener for his Indian Premier League (IPL) team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). He was awarded the Orange Cap in the recent IPL season for scoring 741 runs at a strike rate of 154.
Furthermore, while India performed well against Ireland in their first match, their real challenge is the upcoming match against Pakistan on Sunday (June 9). Following Pakistan’s loss to the USA, they are likely prepared to rebound in their match against India.
“If India stick to this batting order (of Kohli) opening, then they may get stuck at some point. Kohli holds one end up and finishes off the game. I think India are making a mistake by opening with Kohli,” he added.
The wicket-keeper batsman also commented on the pitch quality in New York and called on the International Cricket Council (ICC) to ensure better pitches for significant matches.
“ICC will have to produce better pitches for big matches. Otherwise, people will go away from this World Cup,” he warned.
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