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'KL Rahul might beat Virat Kohli in the race': Aakash Chopra selects India's openers for T20 World Cup
- Aakash Chopra said the choice of India openers for the T20 World Cup will perhaps boil down to a battle between Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, in which he said the latter might come out on top.
- Aakash Chopra said the choice of India openers for the T20 World Cup will perhaps boil down to a battle between Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, in which he said the latter might come out on top.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra said it might be a toss-up between captain Virat Kohli and the talented KL Rahul for the opener’s spot with Rohit Sharma in the upcoming T20 World Cup which is slated to be played in the UAE and Oman in October-November this year.
While answering a fan’s query on his YouTube channel, Chopra named four options for India’s opening slot, adding that Rohit Sharma is an automatic selection.
“India have a lot of choices. Shikhar Dhawan is one, KL Rahul is the second and then you’ve got Virat Kohli too. And I would like to add Prithvi Shaw. The brand of cricket that he plays is amazing, it’s not necessary that he will score in every match but the day he scores, he will be unstoppable,” Chopra said.
The former opener, however, said it will perhaps boil down to a battle between Kohli and Rahul, in which he said the latter might come out on top.
“In the end, it might just be a toss-up between Rahul and Kohli. Rahul might just win that race because now Pant will come in the middle order so there is no need for Rahul to play that role. Hardik Pandya, Pant and Ravindra Jadeja can handle the middle order duties. So I would play Rahul up the order and Kohli at 3 or maybe the other way around,” Chopra said.
Rahul and Rohit have been India’s preferred openers when both of them have been available for selection in T20Is. In the five-match home series against England, Rohit opened in all matches while Rahul partnered him thrice. Dhawan was ignored after the first match.
The twist in the tale, however, came when captain Kohli decided to open with Rohit in the final T20I and slammed a match-winning 80 off just 52 balls. The fact that Kohli also opens for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, is also set to play a key role in deciding India’s opening pair for the T20 World Cup.
Chopra said, if Dhawan has a good series in Sri Lanka followed by a good IPL then it will be difficult to ignore him.
“If Shikhar Dhawan scores two hundred and three fifties in the Sri Lanka tour then how will you rule him out? He anyway plays well in the IPL, so does Prithvi Shaw. So, it’s an interesting situation, I would call it a sweet headache for Indian selectors,” he said.
Dhawan will lead a young Indian side in three ODIs and three T20Is in Sri Lanka, starting on July 13 as India’s Test regulars including captain Kohli and Rohit are in England preparing for the five-match Test series against the hosts.
5 Indian Players Who Might Retire If Not Selected In The Squad For The T20 World Cup 2021
India will be riding with a lot of hope in the upcoming T20 Worldcup as they have got a strong unit at the moment and the selectors will be looking to cover all the bases. The youngsters will be given a go in the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka where the senior men won’t be available and it will be a good time to test the bench.
Also, it could be the end of the road for certain cricketers who haven’t been certainly helped by their age and also their current form. These cricketers have played a vital part in India‘s T20 success in the past and here are 5 Indian players who might retire if not selected in the squad for the T20 World cup.
- The off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has been one of the best spinners India has ever produced and the veteran was an important member of the 2007 T20 Worldcup triumph. The 41-year-old hasn’t had much game practice too and the IPL 2021 wasn’t great for him too.
- Harbhajan has had immense experience in international cricket for a long time and has played 28 T20 internationals picking up 25 wickets at an average of 25.3 and his economy rate of 6.20 is very impressive. However, he is highly unlikely to make it to the T20 World cup 2021 squad which might certainly force him into retirement plans.
4. Robin Uthappa:
- Robin Uthappa was a key player in the World T20 triumph for India in 2007 and he still is a dangerous player in T20 cricket with his ability to clear the ropes easily. His timing is impeccable and is unmatched at times when he is on a song and he keeps reminding of his finesse.
- However, he hasn’t been consistent in the last few years in IPL or domestic cricket and last played for India six years back in 2015. He has played 13 T20 internationals for India scoring 249 runs at an average of 24.9 and at a strike rate of 118. He is unlikely to make it to the T20 World cup squad and should consider retiring after the tournament.
5. Kedar Jadhav:
- Kedar Jadhav was with the Indian limited-overs team until 2019 where he was dropped owing to some poor performances and he continued his poor form into the IPL too with the last two seasons for Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
- The 36-year-old has played 9 T20 internationals for the nation scoring 122 runs at an average of 20.3 and a strike rate of 123.2. He was used in the middle order as a finisher and he could bowl some handy part-time spin too. However, he hasn’t much impact on any team in the last two years and he would certainly consider packing his boots if he isn’t part of the T20 Worldcup 2021.
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