India decimated England by 50 runs in the first T20I in Southampton on Thursday, July 7th. After the loss in the fifth Test, this win came in as a little respite for the Indian team. This, despite the likes of Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja not being in the team, has also pushed people to ponder if the team is better without these senior players.
One such person is the ex-England player and commentator Graeme Swann who believes that it is!
Speaking to Sony Sports after the game, Swann cheekily suggested that “India should send their B team to Australia and probably win the World Cup. He raised concern about India’s decision to bring back the rested players for the second T20I.
“I think it’s a great idea that you bring a load of players in. You got a winning team and completely change that in the 2nd game against England. I would like you to do that, India, please. Because this XI will beat England in 2 days’ time, even if you bring in world-class players like Bumrah, Kohli and Pant, it upsets the balance that has played so well.
“Of course, they will come back into the team because of who they are. But if you are the England team, I would be looking for any way to upset the rhythm,” he added. The ex-England bowler further suggested moving Virat Kohli up the order and allowing him to open the innings with Rohit Sharma.
Virat Kohli should open innings: Graeme Swann
“Virat Kohli comes in, he opens the batting, instead of Kishan. That is what I would do. When you have got a player as good as Virat, you don’t want him to bat at No. 3 in the middle overs because he is not scoring as quickly as SKY or Hooda when they first come in because that’s not his game.
“When Rohit is batting so well at the other end, scoring quickly, Virat will follow and do the same thing. Kohli and Sharma score heavily at the top, Hooda and SKY (Suryakumar) can follow suit,” Graeme Swann added.
