With the advent of the T20I season, with the Asia Cup 2022 underway in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the all-important T20 World Cup set to take place in October-November in Australia, all the talks in the cricketing fraternity and teams would be in the grand scheme of things pertaining to T20 cricket.

All the teams that have secured a berth in the World Cup would be already finding their best playing XI for the mega event. As for <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-teams/india/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India</a> is concerned, they would be more mindful of the absence of their star pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel, who are out due to injuries. And the batting department looks, more or less, settled for the Men in Blue.

However, since the comeback of the Indian vice-captain, KL Rahul, in the Zimbabwe tour into the team, the going has not been easy for KL Rahul. And his recent struggling knock of 36 off 39 against Hong Kong in the Asia Cup has been a matter of concern for the Indian top-order. And Also, given the fact that talented younger players have been waiting in the ranks, is it time for the opener to step out?

Here we bring you three players who can replace KL Rahul in India's T20I team:

Ishan Kishan can be that opening batter who could play fearlessly and take the side off to a flyer in the powerplay. The pairing of Kishan and Rohit Sharma also provides the left-hand-right-hand combination up top, something that has been lacking with <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-analysis/like-it-or-not-kl-rahul-has-to-adopt-indias-aggressive-approach/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KL Rahul</a>.

Kishan has played 14 T20Is this year, scoring 430 runs at an average of 30.71 and a strike rate of 130.30. He also had a good Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 with a struggling Mumbai Indians (MI) side, scoring 418 runs at an average of 32.15.

Kishan also has a natural flair for timing the ball and also playing the big shots, against the run of play and gathering momentum in his side&rsquo;s favour. He can take the role of wicketkeeper if needed, or in addition to resolving India&rsquo;s top-order woes.

Rishabh Pant is one of the superstars of the Indian team and one of the best batters in the country in the longer formats. However, he has not quite cut the mustard in T20Is despite having the tools and firepower to succeed in the format.

<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/i-think-rishabh-will-be-in-indias-playing-xi-for-the-t20-world-cup-nikhil-chopra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pant</a> is often associated with big-hitting and finding the boundaries with ease, regardless of who is at the other end. He has that calmness and nonchalance of a big player, capable of doing big things in any situation to win games on his own.

The biggest concern for Pant has been consistency, and the average of 23.86 emphasises exactly that. However, it is just a matter of time before he could get his game together in T20Is. And if he does find his rhythm, he could be a matchwinner, as he is in other formats.

The big-hitting top-order batter and a handy off-spinner, Deepak Hooda has been a revelation for the Men in Blue, this year. He has got finesse and guile of a proper batter, and also the strength and firepower of a modern white-ball batter. He could be an ideal like-for-like replacement for KL Rahul, given his track record.

Hooda has batted in various positions in his career, but none as successful as at the top for India as anywhere else. He made his T20I debut on February 24, 2022, and has appeared in nine T20Is. He has scored 274 runs at an average of 54.80 and a strike rate of 161.17 with a top score of 104.

Hooda also had a decent Indian Premier League (<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-analysis/5-players-who-can-be-big-stars-in-ipl-1358/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IPL</a>) with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), scoring 451 runs in 15 games with a strike rate of 136.67. He also offers the option of a sixth bowler with his off-spinners and is a dependable fielder in the outfield.

With the advent of the T20I season, with the Asia Cup 2022 underway in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the all-important T20 World Cup set to take place in October-November in Australia, all the talks in the cricketing fraternity and teams would be in the grand scheme of things pertaining to T20 cricket.
All the teams that have secured a berth in the World Cup would be already finding their best playing XI for the mega event. As for <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-teams/india/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India</a> is concerned, they would be more mindful of the absence of their star pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel, who are out due to injuries. And the batting department looks, more or less, settled for the Men in Blue.
However, since the comeback of the Indian vice-captain, KL Rahul, in the Zimbabwe tour into the team, the going has not been easy for KL Rahul. And his recent struggling knock of 36 off 39 against Hong Kong in the Asia Cup has been a matter of concern for the Indian top-order. And Also, given the fact that talented younger players have been waiting in the ranks, is it time for the opener to step out?
<h3>Here we bring you three players who can replace KL Rahul in India's T20I team:</h3>
<h3>1. Ishan Kishan&nbsp;</h3>
<amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/featureimage/Ishan-Kishan-2.jpg" width="640" height="400" alt layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
Ishan Kishan can be that opening batter who could play fearlessly and take the side off to a flyer in the powerplay. The pairing of Kishan and Rohit Sharma also provides the left-hand-right-hand combination up top, something that has been lacking with <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-analysis/like-it-or-not-kl-rahul-has-to-adopt-indias-aggressive-approach/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KL Rahul</a>.
Kishan has played 14 T20Is this year, scoring 430 runs at an average of 30.71 and a strike rate of 130.30. He also had a good Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 with a struggling Mumbai Indians (MI) side, scoring 418 runs at an average of 32.15.
Kishan also has a natural flair for timing the ball and also playing the big shots, against the run of play and gathering momentum in his side’s favour. He can take the role of wicketkeeper if needed, or in addition to resolving India’s top-order woes.
<h3>2. Rishabh Pant</h3>
<amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1661956175009_Rishabh-Pant.jpeg" width="640" height="400" alt layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
Rishabh Pant is one of the superstars of the Indian team and one of the best batters in the country in the longer formats. However, he has not quite cut the mustard in T20Is despite having the tools and firepower to succeed in the format.
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/i-think-rishabh-will-be-in-indias-playing-xi-for-the-t20-world-cup-nikhil-chopra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pant</a> is often associated with big-hitting and finding the boundaries with ease, regardless of who is at the other end. He has that calmness and nonchalance of a big player, capable of doing big things in any situation to win games on his own.
The biggest concern for Pant has been consistency, and the average of 23.86 emphasises exactly that. However, it is just a matter of time before he could get his game together in T20Is. And if he does find his rhythm, he could be a matchwinner, as he is in other formats.
<h3>3. Deepak Hooda</h3>
<amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/featureimage/Deepak-Hooda2.jpg" width="640" height="400" alt layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
The big-hitting top-order batter and a handy off-spinner, Deepak Hooda has been a revelation for the Men in Blue, this year. He has got finesse and guile of a proper batter, and also the strength and firepower of a modern white-ball batter. He could be an ideal like-for-like replacement for KL Rahul, given his track record.
Hooda has batted in various positions in his career, but none as successful as at the top for India as anywhere else. He made his T20I debut on February 24, 2022, and has appeared in nine T20Is. He has scored 274 runs at an average of 54.80 and a strike rate of 161.17 with a top score of 104.
Hooda also had a decent Indian Premier League (<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-analysis/5-players-who-can-be-big-stars-in-ipl-1358/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IPL</a>) with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), scoring 451 runs in 15 games with a strike rate of 136.67. He also offers the option of a sixth bowler with his off-spinners and is a dependable fielder in the outfield.

With the advent of the T20I season, with the Asia Cup 2022 underway in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the all-important T20 World Cup set to take place in October-November in Australia, all the talks in the cricketing fraternity and teams would be in the grand scheme of things pertaining to T20 cricket.
All the teams that have secured a berth in the World Cup would be already finding their best playing XI for the mega event. As for <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-teams/india/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India</a> is concerned, they would be more mindful of the absence of their star pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel, who are out due to injuries. And the batting department looks, more or less, settled for the Men in Blue.
However, since the comeback of the Indian vice-captain, KL Rahul, in the Zimbabwe tour into the team, the going has not been easy for KL Rahul. And his recent struggling knock of 36 off 39 against Hong Kong in the Asia Cup has been a matter of concern for the Indian top-order. And Also, given the fact that talented younger players have been waiting in the ranks, is it time for the opener to step out?
<h3>Here we bring you three players who can replace KL Rahul in India's T20I team:</h3>
<h3>1. Ishan Kishan&nbsp;</h3>
<img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/featureimage/Ishan-Kishan-2.jpg" width="640" height="400" alt="" >
Ishan Kishan can be that opening batter who could play fearlessly and take the side off to a flyer in the powerplay. The pairing of Kishan and Rohit Sharma also provides the left-hand-right-hand combination up top, something that has been lacking with <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-analysis/like-it-or-not-kl-rahul-has-to-adopt-indias-aggressive-approach/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KL Rahul</a>.
Kishan has played 14 T20Is this year, scoring 430 runs at an average of 30.71 and a strike rate of 130.30. He also had a good Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 with a struggling Mumbai Indians (MI) side, scoring 418 runs at an average of 32.15.
Kishan also has a natural flair for timing the ball and also playing the big shots, against the run of play and gathering momentum in his side&rsquo;s favour. He can take the role of wicketkeeper if needed, or in addition to resolving India&rsquo;s top-order woes.
<h3>2. Rishabh Pant</h3>
<img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1661956175009_Rishabh-Pant.jpeg" width="640" height="400" alt="" >
Rishabh Pant is one of the superstars of the Indian team and one of the best batters in the country in the longer formats. However, he has not quite cut the mustard in T20Is despite having the tools and firepower to succeed in the format.
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/i-think-rishabh-will-be-in-indias-playing-xi-for-the-t20-world-cup-nikhil-chopra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pant</a> is often associated with big-hitting and finding the boundaries with ease, regardless of who is at the other end. He has that calmness and nonchalance of a big player, capable of doing big things in any situation to win games on his own.
The biggest concern for Pant has been consistency, and the average of 23.86 emphasises exactly that. However, it is just a matter of time before he could get his game together in T20Is. And if he does find his rhythm, he could be a matchwinner, as he is in other formats.
<h3>3. Deepak Hooda</h3>
<img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/featureimage/Deepak-Hooda2.jpg" width="640" height="400" alt="" >
The big-hitting top-order batter and a handy off-spinner, Deepak Hooda has been a revelation for the Men in Blue, this year. He has got finesse and guile of a proper batter, and also the strength and firepower of a modern white-ball batter. He could be an ideal like-for-like replacement for KL Rahul, given his track record.
Hooda has batted in various positions in his career, but none as successful as at the top for India as anywhere else. He made his T20I debut on February 24, 2022, and has appeared in nine T20Is. He has scored 274 runs at an average of 54.80 and a strike rate of 161.17 with a top score of 104.
Hooda also had a decent Indian Premier League (<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-analysis/5-players-who-can-be-big-stars-in-ipl-1358/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IPL</a>) with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), scoring 451 runs in 15 games with a strike rate of 136.67. He also offers the option of a sixth bowler with his off-spinners and is a dependable fielder in the outfield.

With the advent of the T20I season, with the Asia Cup 2022 underway in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the all-important T20 World Cup set to take place in October-November in Australia, all the ta

3 Players who can replace KL Rahul in India's T20I team

Rahul's struggling knock of 36 off 39 against Hong Kong has been a matter of concern for the Indian top-order.

With KL Rahul's recent struggles with the bat since his return to the Indian team and as the T20 World Cup approaches., it could be time for India to make way for the younger players to grab the opening spot.