'Upsetting the balance by moving Kohli down the order wouldn't be ideal, especially if they make frequent changes at the top.'
Cricket legend Brian Lara believes India should maintain their opening partnership of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, despite their struggles in the ongoing T20 World Cup.
While both batters haven't fired at the top of the order, Lara suggests a change could disrupt India's batting line-up.
'India definitely had the option to go with a left-right opening combination,' Lara acknowledged on Star Sports.
'But they chose two great players -- Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli -- who have consistently performed well for India and their respective franchises. Upsetting the balance by moving Kohli down the order wouldn't be ideal, especially if they make frequent changes at the top,' Lara explained.
'I trust the combination India has chosen, and they should too,' Lara added. 'The batting conditions in the USA haven't been the easiest. Making changes, especially when you're winning, isn't the answer.'
Another cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar backed Kohli to come back strong following a dismal start to his 2024 T20 World Cup campaign
Virat, the top run-getter in T20 World Cup histor,y has been off to an extremely poor run, with scores of 1 (against Ireland), 4 (against Pakistan), and a duck (against the USA).
The duck on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, was his first in any T20 World Cup.
In the matches against Ireland and Pakistan, Virat was dismissed while taking the aggressive route, while his dismissal against the USA saw him poking at a ball landing outside the off stump.
Speaking to Star Sports, Gavaskar said: 'When you get three low scores, it does not mean he is not batting well. Sometimes you get good deliveries.
'On any other day, the ball would have gone wide or over the slip for a boundary, today it didn't. So, there is nothing to worry about. We have to show faith in him...believe that he is going to come good, sooner rather than later,' Gavaskar added.
'The biggest motivation for any player is to win matches, especially when you are playing for your country. He has done so well for India over the years and won so many games. I think he recognises that.
'We are in the early phase of the tournament. There are Super 8s, semi-finals, and hopefully the final. All he needs to do is show patience and faith in himself, which I think he has plenty.'
Kohli arrived in the tournament after scoring heavily in IPL 2024 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru -- he hit 741 runs in 15 innings at 61.75 and a strike rate of 154.69, with a century and five fifties.
India's next T20 WC game will be against Canada on Saturday, June 15, at Florida's Central Broward Park.
