With his phenomenal T20 record, KL Rahul should be permanent opener, opines Simon Doull
Former New Zealand international Simon Doull has said that he wants to see KL Rahul take over permanently from Shikhar Dhawan as Rohit Sharma’s opening partner in T20I cricket. Rahul’s man-of-the-match winning 91 off 56 balls set up India’s series win against the West Indies on Wednesday.
While it is true that Rahul’s Test and ODI numbers have been below par for a batsman with his ability, his T20I numbers have been consistently good. With three half-centuries in his last four matches, he averages 43.76 from 34 career matches, striking at 146.46. As far as Doull is concerned, it is time for Dhawan to pass the baton on in the shorter format of the game, especially with the World T20 not too far away.
“Well, he should be. Look at his international record, it is phenomenal. You’ve got an opening batsman that strikes just a tick under 140 and averages about 40 in T20 cricket. Those are phenomenal numbers for an opening batsman in this format. He’s got to be the guy,” Doull said in a Cricbuzz panel discussion.
“Unfortunately, Shikhar Dhawan has been in and out. Yes, injuries have played their part. But his form at the international level in 50 over-cricket has been good, but in T20, it is not so great. I think it’s time to move on and give KL a proper run at it,” Doull added.
Meanwhile, Doull’s fellow panelist Joy Bhattacharjya reckons Rahul has already sealed his place for the T20 World Cup with his performance in the just-concluded series.
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