IND vs WI | Time to look beyond Shikhar Dhawan as opener in T20Is, says Kris Srikkanth

With the T20I World Cup only 10 months away and Dhawan failing to find his feet since returning from a thumb injury that he suffered in the 2019 ODI World Cup, Kris Srikkanth wants the Men in Blue to look for other bankable names beside Virat Kohli. 

"The need of the hour is instant firepower and that's one area where India are lacking. The hosts need to slot KL Rahul firmly as an opener and look beyond Dhawan. Of course, there is Kohli and other talents to make up (for firepower) but that might not be enough on the big day, as the team has found out in many ICC tournaments over the last few years," Srikkanth wrote in his column for TOI on Friday. 

He further noted that the three T20Is against the most successful T20I nation will be a good test ahead of the ultimate showdown in Australia next year.

"The recent (T20I) loss to Bangladesh was an eye-opener. It goes without saying that West Indies have excelled in this format. In short bursts, they can be a challenging proposition. Hopefully, it will show areas that require improvement," Srikkanth added.

The Windies squad is missing their T20 specialist Andre Russell but has named a few exciting youngsters like Brandon King and Sherfane Rutherford. For India, Kohli’s back to leading the side after sitting out in the series against Bangladesh, while all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is also making a comeback into the squad. Hyderabad is all set to host the first match of the series, which is scheduled to start at 7 PM on Friday.

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