Former Indian wicket-keeper batter, Parthiv Patel reckons that there are certain possibilities that the former Indian skipper, Virat Kohli could open in the Asia Cup 2022 as there is uncertainty over the availability of KL Rahul. Patel also said given that India has already experimented with several opening combinations in recent times, it is likely that the former India captain could be asked to open. Parthiv also stressed that all the big seasons that Kohli has had in the IPL have come playing as an opener for RCB.

Speaking about Kohli’s place in the Indian team, the 37-year-old said that there is no doubt about the batter’s abilities. Patel added that it is just about the form and his batting position.

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During a recent chat on Cricbuzz, Parthiv Patel said, “There is no doubt about Virat Kohli’s abilities. It is just about the form, it is just about which position you want him to play. That is why Asia Cup becomes very crucial. Not for him, just for India’s point of view also whether they get the right combination or not.”

He further added, “I keep saying about the combination because that would be the key. You might just see Virat Kohli open in the Asia Cup because KL Rahul is not fit, as of now. And India has tried a lot of other openers. They have tried Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav in this series.”

Broadcaster and active commentator Harsha Bhogle reckons that the Asia Cup could be an audition for Virat Kohli. He feels that it is not about whether Kohli would be among runs but about how comfortable he is and how he is hitting the ball. 

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At the moment, Virat Kohli is going through a rough patch with the bat across formats. His average in 2022 has been just around 25, which is the lowest in his career for a calendar year. Bhogle explained, “I think with Virat Kohli, you are not looking at how many runs he has scored. Whether he is comfortable, whether he is hitting the ball well because then the runs will come.”