Krishnamachari Srikkanth wants India to back KL Rahul as first-choice opener over Shikhar Dhawan in T20Is

Krishnamachari Srikkanth, the former Indian cricketer has stated his opinion that India should look beyond Shikhar Dhawan in the shorter format and back KL Rahul as the first-choice opener. He is one of the former players, who look unimpressed with the recent performances of the current Indian opener. Moreover, this is not the first occasion that he has raised his concern over Dhawan‘s form, earlier he had spoken about him when India had lost the T20I series opener against Bangladesh.

Srikkanth is considered as one of the best openers in Indian cricket history, who played against some of the all-time best fast bowlers in international cricket. He was known for his aggressive approach as batter and was noted for his attacking strokes. He played 43 Tests and 146 ODIs in which he amassed more than 6,000 international runs with six centuries and 38 half-centuries.

Kris Srikkanth feels that the loss against Bangladesh in Delhi was an eye-opener

The former player feels that Team India lacks in instant firepower. Even if there are players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma in India’s arsenal, sometimes it is not enough on the big occasions. According to him, the T20I series against West Indies will be a tough test for Virat Kohli and Co Moreover, it will also make team management aware of the areas in which they need to work ahead of the mega-event.

Srikkanth also recited that the loss against Bangladesh in Delhi was an eye-opener and no team can be taken lightly in the shorter format. He is also excited to watch the competition between the Indian spinners for grabbing their spot with Ravindra Jadeja coming back into the side, who is in the best form of his cricket career.

“The hosts (India) need to slot KL Rahul firmly as an opener and look beyond Dhawan. The need of the hour is instant firepower and that’s one area where India is lacking. Of course, there is (Virat) Kohli and other talents to make up but that might not be enough on the big day, as the team has found out in many ICC tournaments over the last few years.”

“The T20 World Cup is a good 10 months away but a series against West Indies should be a good test for this strong Indian team. Hopefully, it will show India areas that require improvement. The recent loss to Bangladesh was an eye-opener in many ways. No team can be taken lightly in this format. All it requires is one massive individual effort to win the day,” Srikkanth wrote in his column for Times of India.

Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out from the T20I squad that will play against West Indies following his knee injury. In recent times, he has been more often criticised by the fans and former Indian cricketers for is run a ball approach in the T20I games. However, Team India is currently gearing up for the series opener against West Indies that will be played at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on December 6.

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