KL Rahul should replace Shikhar Dhawan as opener in T20Is: Krishnamachari Srikkanth

India suffered a seven-wicket defeat in the first T20I against Bangladesh at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday. The Rohit Sharma-led side failed to defend the score of 148 runs as Mushfiqur Rahim’s knock of 60 runs steered Bangladesh to the win with 3 balls remaining.

After India’s defeat, opener Shikhar Dhawan was criticized for his lifeless knock. The left-hander was the top scorer for the Men in Blue. However, his strike rate, which was less than 100 proved costly for the team.

Former Indian cricketer K Srikkanth has suggested an alternative instead of Dhawan. Srikkanth has asked for KL Rahul to be paired up alongside Rohit Sharma at the top. While the Indian team is experimenting with the pool of players which could represent the country in the next year’s T20 World Cup, Srikkanth has expressed his concern that one defeat shouldn’t get a knee-jerk reaction from the Indian team in terms of player selection.

“In my opinion, the defeat in Delhi should not lead to any knee-jerk reaction. With the T20 World Cup in mind, these experiments are required and if you’re not fielding the best side, a reversal has to be accepted as part of the learning,” Srikkanth expressed in his column for the Times of India.

I will go with KL Rahul as opener, says Srikkanth

Srikkanth also stated his concern regarding Dhawan that the left-hander fails to shift gears when it’s required. Hence, he opined that certain combinations including the opening pair should be solidified in the team.

“However, the team management must find a settled combination sooner than later. Rohit Sharma often make it up but Shikar Dhawan does fail to shift gears when required and that has cost the team. What baffles me is the approach of Dhawan. His inability to go out and play his natural game despite being a senior member is hurting the team. I will stick my neck out and field KL Rahul as an opener in this format. Along with Rohit, the team will have two explosive batsmen when field restrictions are in place,” added Srikkanth.

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