Veteran India wicketkeeper batter Dinesh Karthik feels that flamboyant opener KL Rahul has all the credentials to be a proper middle-order batter for the upcoming ODI World Cup. Rahul had an underwhelming T20 World Cup as he failed to score in crucial games against Pakistan, South Africa and England. He came under a lot of scanner for his conservative approach in the initial overs of the innings.
However, India have to pick between Shikhar Dhawan and Rahul to open the innings in the upcoming ODI series against Bangladesh alongside Rohit Sharma. Both opening pairs have done well for India in the 50-over format, while the team management has also used Rahul as a middle-order batter in the past.
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Karthik, who was recently part of India’s T20 World Cup squad, feels that the opener pair of Rohit and Dhawan is non-negotiable for him, while the following two spots are also sealed by batting maestro Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer respectively.
“A few players stand out to me who are going to be a part of the playing XI. For me, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are non-negotiable, they will open. Virat Kohli will be at three. Four, Shreyas Iyer, just the magnitude of performances in ODI cricket in the recent past,” Karthik told Cricbuzz.
The ODIs against Bangladesh will also mark the re-uniting of Rohit, Shikhar Dhawan and Kohli as the top three. Since the 2019 World Cup, the trio have featured in just 12 ODIs together.
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While the wicketkeeper batter suggested that the team management has to pick between Rahul and Pant for the number 5 spot. However, he feels that Pant might get rested after a long flight from New Zealand.
“(Number) five is where we need to discuss. There will be toss-up between KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant. I have a feeling that KL Rahul will play, for sure. Pant, I think, has taken a long flight from New Zealand and has landed as we speak. KL Rahul will be a proper middle-order batsman for the fifty-over World Cup. If that happens, they will fit him at number five,”
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