Former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman has picked his choice between KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan as the opening partner of Rohit Sharma for the limited-overs leg against England.
Shikhar Dhawan scored 105 runs in 4 games for Delhi in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 and 203 runs in 5 matches in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021. KL Rahul, on the other hand, has been warming the benches for Team India and has not had any match practice in the past three months.
However, Laxman still wants Rahul to open with Rohit Sharma for Team India as the Rohit-Rahul duo is more settled in the T20I format.
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VVS Laxman said on Star Sports' show Cricket Connected, "It is going to be a tough question as far as the selection of the second opener is concerned, there is no doubt about that because Rohit Sharma is an automatic choice in white-ball cricket.”
“But I will still go with KL Rahul because over the last few months and years, I think the Indian team management went with KL Rahul as an opening batsman and he has done really well in that position,” he added.
KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan topped the charts during IPL 2020 with 670 and 618 runs respectively under their belt. While Dhawan got more game time since then than the right-hander, Laxman believes he is settled in the T20I side.
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“Yeah, Shikhar Dhawan had a fantastic IPL and the way he batted at the top of the order, scoring centuries for the Delhi Capitals and then he is in tremendous form for Delhi, scored a big hundred in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. But I still will repose faith in KL Rahul because as an opening combination you want someone who is settled," said Laxman.
The 46-year-old also considered the fact the T20 World Cup 2021 is not far away and Team India would like to have the Rohit-Rahul duo at the top with Shikhar Dhawan as a backup opener if either of the two gets injured.
“Keeping in mind the T20 World Cup, you have to identify who your openers are going to be there in that World Cup and back them and don't chop and change. And you have someone as experienced as Shikhar Dhawan who can be the backup opener in case one of these openers, Rohit Sharma or KL Rahul, gets injured or lose their form,” he concluded.
India’s five-match T20I series against England begins later this week.
