India Should Try KL Rahul At The Top Alongside Rohit Sharma - Kris Srikkanth

Team India opener Shikhar Dhawan came under the scanner for his sluggish knock in the first T20I against Bangladesh in Delhi. Former cricketer Kris Srikkanth has suggested using KL Rahul at the top alongside Rohit Sharma as the host look to settle combination ahead of the T20 World Cup 2020.

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The experienced batsman has off late failed to make the most of the field restrictions in the shorter version of the game. In the last game as well, Dhawan managed to score runs at a strike-rate below 100 which halted India’s run-rate.

Eventually, some mighty blows from Krunal Pandya and Washington Sundar at the end helped the host put 148 runs on the board. However, it wasn’t enough as Mushfiqur Rahman-led Bangladesh to an emphatic victory – their first against India.

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Kris Srikkanth cited problems in the opening combination. The former selectors suggested promoting KL Rahul at the top alongside Rohit Sharma as Shikhar Dhawan has failed to score runs quickly in recent times.

“As often in the past, India failed to accelerate during Powerplay. 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,” Srikkanth wrote in his column for TOI.

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Furthermore, Kris Srikkanth also suggested that India should not read too much in their defeat in the first game against Bangladesh. The 1983 World Cup-winning hero said that this is quite normal when experimenting with a team. Notably, India have left out regular skipper Virat Kohli to manage his workload.

“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 your not fielding the best side, a reversal has to be accepted as part of the learning,” Srikkanth concluded.