Former selector Devang Gandhi feels Shikhar Dhawan is Team India's reserve opener in T20Is
Former national selector Devang Gandhi believes Shikhar Dhawan will not be Team India's first-choice opener heading into the ICC T20 World Cup. According to Gandhi, Rohit Sharma will open the innings with wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul in the game's shortest format.
Team India will face an opening conundrum in the upcoming T20I series against England. Both KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan are in excellent form, but only one of them will get a chance to open the innings with vice-captain Rohit Sharma.
Speaking about the selection headache in an interview with PTI, Devang Gandhi said:
"KL and Rohit are your opening pair in T20s going into the World T20. Shikhar will be the reserve opener and will have to wait for his turn. May be during the ODIs, he can be given a chance if the ODIs are also treated as an extension of T20 preparation."
Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul were the top two run-getters in the previous IPL season. Both batsmen scored 81 runs each in the three T20Is against Australia.
While Rahul can keep wickets for the team, including Shikhar in the playing XI will allow the Indian cricket team to have a right hand-left hand combination at the top.
Why KL Rahul might receive a place ahead of Shikhar Dhawan in the Indian playing XI
The upcoming T20I series against England will take place on home soil, with the T20 World Cup 2021 set to happen in India too. When you compare Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul's numbers on Indian pitches, the latter emerges as the better player.
Dhawan has played 27 T20Is at home, scoring 702 runs at a strike rate of 118.58. His average is less than 30 while batting in T20Is held in India.
Meanwhile, KL Rahul has amassed 749 runs in 19 T20I innings at home. His average is 44.06, while he has batted at a strike rate of 140+.
Thus, on paper, KL Rahul seems like a better option than Shikhar Dhawan for the T20I matches at home.