IND vs AUS 2022: "With KL Rahul and Virat Kohli coming back, it makes things trickier" - Former India cricketer highlights selection headache if both play
Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra feels that the return of KL Rahul and Virat Kohli has made the process of selecting the playing XI a bit trickier for the team management.
The wicket-keeper batter did not feature in a single T20I this year prior to the Asia Cup, while the former India skipper played only four matches in the same time frame.
In the absence of the duo, Team India had the luxury of selecting both Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant in the playing XI, which offered flexibility and stability at the same time.
But with KL Rahul and Virat Kohli occupying two spots out of the top three, it leaves the management with a selection dilemma in the middle order.
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Opining that Team India will have to go for either one of Pant or Karthik since they cannot afford to play with only five bowlers, Chopra said on his YouTube channel:
"Things seemed quite smooth when Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant were playing together. There was one left-handed batter in the middle order and there was a finisher as well.
"Now, with KL Rahul and Kohli coming back, it makes things a little trickier."
Chopra added:
"If Pant plays, then Dinesh Karthik has to come in at No.7, which leaves the bowling short. Playing Hardik Pandya as the fifth bowler is a big no-no from my side."
Team India have gone back and forth in terms of their selection for the No.5 spot. Karthik was preferred over his counterpart in the Asia Cup opener against Pakistan, but he was then dropped after facing just one delivery in the contest.
The Tamil Nadu batter then returned for matches against Hong Kong and Afghanistan.
"I don't have a problem if all the batters are right-handed" - Aakash Chopra on Team India lineup for T20 World Cup
The Men in Blue have a batting unit that is heavily stacked with right-handed batters. Ravindra Jadeja's injury leaves Pant and Axar Patel as the only left-handed options in the squad.
With Shikhar Dhawan not considered for the shortest format and Ishan Kishan not getting selected, there is a possibility that India will have to field a batting unit comprising only right-handers, depending on Pant's form.
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Noting that Team India have always prioritized playing a left-handed batter in the batting order, Chopra said:
"Now, if Dinesh Karthik does play, that means there will be no left-handed batter in the entire order.
"Will the team management look towards Axar Patel for that, and try to promote him when a left-handed batter is required."
Chopra concluded:
"I don't have a problem if all the batters are right-handed, but the team has shown in the past that they need a left-handed batter somewhere."
The management will have six matches in addition to the warm-up contest to decide their playing XI for the T20 World Cup.
India's final leg of preparations begins with a three-match T20I series against Australia, which starts on Tuesday, September 20.
Who among the two wicket-keeping options should feature in Team India's playing XI? Let us know what you think.