Legendary West Indies batter Brian Lara believes India should persist with the opening pair of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma even if they are not batting at their best. So far, the duo has struggled to establish a strong opening partnership, with Kohli, the right-handed batter, registering scores of just 1, 4, and 0 in three matches.

Rohit began the tournament impressively, scoring a half-century against Ireland. However, he struggled in the following two matches, managing just 13 and 3 runs respectively. Despite these low scores, Lara recommended keeping the star duo as the opening pair, reasoning that changing the lineup could disrupt the team’s playing dynamic.

“India could’ve opted to open with a left-right batting combination, which would have been a strategic choice. Instead, they went with two established stars, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who have performed well for both India and their respective IPL franchises. I believe they should maintain the same openers, as moving Kohli down the order could disrupt the team’s balance,” said Lara on Star Sports.

The former batter defended that both star batters and predicted that they will score heavily in the next games.

“Despite the less-than-ideal batting conditions in the USA, I believe India should continue backing their current combination of players. While they may need to make adjustments at some point, I don’t think changes are warranted, especially when the team is winning,” he stated.

India booked their spot in the Super 8 stage with a crucial seven-wicket victory over the USA in New York. The Men in Blue first limited the co-hosts to 110/8 in their 20 overs, then chased down the target in just 18.2 overs, led by a half-century (50* off 49) from Suryakumar Yadav.

Rohit and Co. will take on Canada at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground in Lauderhill, Florida On Saturday, June 15.