Virat Kohli has chosen the best opener in T20 cricket in the recent ‘This or That’ challenge, picking his former Royal Challengers Bangalore teammate Chris Gayle ahead of Rohit Sharma.
In a video shared by RCB on Sunday, Kohli was asked to choose between two players at a time while identifying the best opener in the shortest format. The former RCB captain first picked Adam Gilchrist over Sunil Narine.
The next comparison was between Gilchrist and Travis Head, with Kohli picking the Australian left-hander and explaining that his selection was specific to T20 cricket. When Head then faced Virender Sehwag, Kohli switched to the former India opener.
The comparisons between Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar continued, but Kohli chose Sehwag again, noting that he still prefers aggressive starts in the T20 format.
The challenge ultimately came down to the final choice between Rohit and Gayle. After a brief pause, Kohli decided to pick the West Indies legend as the man to be the best T20 opener.
Gayle’s record in the event is testament to his reputation. The former West Indies opener remains the highest run-scorer in T20 cricket, having scored 14,562 runs in 455 innings across all T20 matches. In the Indian Premier League, he scored 4,965 runs in 142 games.
Gayle also holds the record for the highest individual score in IPL history. In 2013, he played for RCB against Pune Warriors India and scored an unbeaten 175, which remains the best score in the tournament.
Rohit, meanwhile, has enjoyed a remarkable career in the shortest format. The former India captain scored 4,231 runs in 159 T20I matches and 151 innings, while in the IPL, he scored 7,046 runs in 272 matches and 267 innings.
Kohli himself will soon be back in action when defending champions RCB begin their Indian Premier League 2026 campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 28 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
