File image of KL Rahul© AFP
With the clean sweep against Afghanistan in the recently-concluded T20I series, Team India started their preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup on a positive note. The series marked the return of India skipper Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli in the T20I format after a gap of 14 months. It is highly likely that both the players will feature in India’s squad at the marquee event. However, there are doubts over the selection of wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul.
Team India has found potential batters in the form of Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh and even wicketkeeper like Jitesh Sharma, who is known for his destructive batting. So, it will be quite a challenge for Rahul to find a place for himself in the squad.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra stated that to find a spot in the World Cup squad, Rahul needs to bat at No 4 in IPL 2024. Rahul, who is the captain of IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants, plays the role of an opener.
“You might see KL Rahul at No. 4. If he wants to play the World Cup, he probably needs to bat at No. 4. You might see one among Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni and Prerak Mankad playing at No. 3. They have plenty of options available to get the work done,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
“After No. 4, they have Nicholas Pooran, Marcus Stoinis, and Ayush Badoni along with Krunal Pandya down the order. Suddenly you see a lot of depth in the batting. So they have prepared a very good team,” Chopra further added.
After missing out on the T20Is against Afghanistan, Rahul will now be seen in action against England in the five-match Test series. The first Test match will start from January 25 in Hyderabad.
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