Amid the debate around who between Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal should open for India alongside Rohit Sharma in the 2024 T20 World Cup, former Australia cricketer Matthew Hayden had come up with most unusual response. He snubbed the Indian captain from his usual position and stuck to a left-right combination at the top of the order by pairing Kohli with Jaiswal. However, in doubling down on his previous remark, Hayden added a fresh twist saying that either Kohli opens in his playing XI for India or he does not make the team.

Kohli's stunning IPL 2024 season sparked the possibility of India opening with Rohit and the former captain. Playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the 35-year-old smashed 741 runs in 15 innings to win the Orange Cap.

Ahead of India's T20 World Cup opener against Ireland on Wednesday at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, Hayden, in conversation win ESPNCricinfo, revealed his likely XI for the match. Sticking to a left-right combination at the top of the batting order, the Aussie legend stressed that either Kohli opens for India or has no place in his team.

“You have to have a left-right combination. You can't have five right-handers in a row. Australia would just say hello to Zampa. Kohli has to open or he does not play in my team. He is in absolute red-hot form,” he said.

When asked why the same logic does not apply for Rohit, who was placed at No. 4 in the India XI, Hayden reckoned that the “versatile” captain would be best suited to lead the Indian charge from the middle-order position.

“Rohit is a versatile player and does not shy away from batting away in that middle order. He has a successful record in T20I cricket batting at No. 4 and he can lead the batting group from the early middle order,” he added.

Rohit made 151 appearances for India scoring 3974 runs. In 27 of those appearances, he batted outside his usual opening position, scoring 481 runs with five fifties. Eight of those came at No. 4 for India, the last being in 2022, and smashed 188 runs at a strike rate of 122.87 with two fifties. In IPL, he batted at that position in 91 innings, the last being in 2018, scoring 2565 runs at a strike rate of 130 with 20 fifties.

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