KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma have underperformed so far in the ongoing Asia Cup.
Team India have had a positive start to the Asia Cup 2022, defeating arch-rivals Pakistan in the first game followed by a thumping victory against Hong Kong.
As a result of these wins, they became the second team after Afghanistan to advance to the Super Four stage.
One of the biggest positives for the Men in Blue has been the form of their middle-order batters. Suryakumar Yadav's blistering game against Hong Kong was pivotal to his team's victory, while Virat Kohli has been in exceptional form since his comeback.
Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya have both looked solid with both bat and ball.
However, the opening duo of skipper Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul hasn’t had much success till now. KL Rahul was out for a golden duck in the opening game against Pakistan, and Rohit only made 12 runs. On the other hand, Rohit made a quickfire 21 against Hong Kong while Rahul played a slow knock of 39-ball 36.
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Amidst talks of changing the opening partnership, veteran cricketer Robin Uthappa feels Rohit and Rahul should remain India's preferred opening pair despite their poor performances.
"KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma should be the first-choice opening pair, no doubts. If there are any fitness or injury concerns, then Pant can also do the job at the top of the order. There are way too many options, and there is too much flexibility. Everyone can open the innings and there is too much competition in this country that players are ready to play anywhere in the playing XI," Uthappa told freelance journalist Vimal Kumar.
When discussing how the T20 game has changed, Uthappa noted that even Rohit Sharma has recently begun playing unconventional shots.
"Even Rohit Sharma has started to play the unorthodox shots. The evolution might not be enjoyed by the traditional viewers, but it is highly enjoyable for contemporary viewers,” he noted.
"The style has changed a lot since my days, the game has evolved quite a lot. The game has gone through evolution, especially in the last seven years. I feel that the game has evolved so much and so fast since 2015. Now each and every player is a 360-degree player, any player can bat like de Villiers now," he further added.
Rohit and his men will next take on Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday (September 04).
(INDIA TODAY INPUTS)