Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma
Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma [Image-BCCI]

Former Indian selector Sarandeep Singh believes that the duo of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan should still be Team India’s first-choice opening combination for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup.

The make-up of Team India’s opening pair for the quadrennial event is still not clear after captain Virat Kohli opened the innings in the final T20I against England.

Veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan was dropped from the playing 11 after he struggled his way to a 12-ball 4 in the series opener. Ishan Kishan was then included in the playing 11 as an opener alongside KL Rahul for the 2nd T20I.

Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma
Shikhar Dhawan. (Photo: BCCI)

Kishan made way for Rohit Sharma in the third game but with KL Rahul horribly out of form, Virat Kohli promoted himself to the top of the order for the series-decider.

The move proved to be a masterstroke as Virat and Rohit gave a blazing start to the team. After the final match, Virat Kohli fuelled ambitions of possibly opening with Rohit in the near-future by stating that he will open the innings in the upcoming Indian Premier League.

Sarandeep Singh, who finished his stint as part of the national selection committee with the successful Australian tour, said that it was surprising for him to see Shikhar Dhawan being benched after one poor outing.

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Singh added that Dhawan had done well in IPL 2020 and also during the Australian tour, stating that the left-right combination of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan is still the way to go for Team India.

“It was surprising. He (Dhawan) did well in the IPL, he did well in Australia. Whenever he plays he performs. He is mentally very strong. May be they want to try out options but in my view the left-hand right-hand combination of Rohit and Dhawan is the best option for India at World Cup,” Sarandeep Singh told PTI.

“You can’t judge him on basis of one match. He did well in ODIs after that. The IPL will decide a lot of the team. There are no easy places in the team. Ishan Kishan too will need to do exceptionally well to make the team,” he added.

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