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Cricket PlayersLaxman wants KL Rahul to open in T20Is in place of veteran Team India star
The game of T20 has undergone a sea change and India will have to make some departures from their set approach in the format in order to challenge for the title against some very strong sides.
The ICC T20 World Cup will take place later this year in India and the preparations will begin for the hosts with the upcoming five-match T20I series against England. The event is taking place after a gap of 5 years after last year's tournament in Australia was postponed due to Covid-19.
The last T20 World Cup took place in India itself in 2016, where the hosts lost to eventual champions West Indies in the semi-final. India, who won the maiden tournament in 2007, came close to the title in 2014 too, when they lost in the final to Sri Lanka.
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The game of T20 has undergone a sea change and India will have to make some departures from their set approach in the format in order to challenge for the title against some very strong sides. For that new personnel need to be trusted and given a chance.
Former India batsman VVS Laxman has suggested one such radical change at the top of the order. Speaking on Star Sports' show Cricket Connected, Laxman said that India should back KL Rahul as opener alongside Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan should be kept as a back-up option.
“It will be a tough question, as far as the selection of the second opener is concerned. There's no doubt about that because Rohit Sharma is an automatic choice in white ball cricket. I will still go with KL Rahul, because over the last few months and years I think the Indian team management went with KL Rahul as an opening batsman and he has done really well in that position.
"Yes, Shikhar Dhawan had a fantastic IPL, the way he batted top of the order, scoring centuries for Delhi capitals and then he's in tremendous form for Delhi in the Vijay Hazare, where he scored a big 100 in that tournament as well. With KL Rahul as an opening combination, you want someone who's second. Keeping in mind the T20 World Cup, you have to identify who your openers are going to be there in the World Cup and back them; don't chop and change. You have someone as experienced as Shikhar Dhawan, who can be the backup opener in case one of these openers Rohit Sharma/ KL Rahul gets injured or lose their form,” Laxman said while highlighting the reason behind his choice of openers.
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As Laxman himself said, it is going to be a very difficult job for the team management because both batsmen have been in great form. Rahul was the stand out batsman of the last IPL as he won the Orange Cap with an aggregate of 670 runs from 14 matches. But his performances could not take Kings XI Punjab, now renamed Punjab Kings, to the play-offs.
Dhawan finished second in the run charts with 618 runs from 17 matches and played a big role in Delhi Capitals reaching the final. He also scored back-to-back centuries in the tournament.
Perhaps only performance will be the key behind finding out who will open for India come the ICC T20 World Cup.
