IND vs SL | Current favourite is KL Rahul, but can't ignore Shikhar Dhawan's class, states Harsha Bhogle

After impressing in the T20 and ODi series against West Indies, KL Rahul has all but certainly fixed his place in the playing eleven. With Shikhar Dhawan back from injury and having no fifties in his last ten innings, eeven Harsha Bhogle had the same opinion about India's opening combination.

"I think on current form it will be Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul. When Shikhar (Dhawan) is batting well, you don't go anywhere. But at the moment I suspect that he is number three on the pecking order," Bhogle said in a chat show on Cricbuzz.

Bhogle though, believed that Dhawan would get a chance in the IPL to prove his metal and he would have to make it count to make a claim for his spot in the T20 World Cup. Rahul's fine form and exquisite strokeplay has kept Dhawan on his toes but Bhogle reckoned Dhawan had got a lot calmer which was essential and a positive point about him.

"He (Dhawan) has got 10-12 games at least in the IPL, but Rahul is just a very dynamic T20 player. The last few times I have met Shikhar Dhawan he is looking way more calmer. It is like when you have gone through so many ups and downs in your life you don't worry. I don't think he is worrying too much which is a good sign," Bhogle asserted.

Rahul playing his natural game and providing quick starts helped Rohit settle in and take the innings deep. This is something that Dhawan has lacked and his poor strike-rate against South Africa and Bangladesh was pretty evident. Bhogle felt that this needed to change if Dhawan had any hopes of reclaiming his starting spot.

"If you are opening in T20s you need to bat with a strike rate of 130-140. This is something that needs to change," he stated.