India’s stylish opener KL Rahul has found himself at the receiving end of criticism and trolling because of his conservative approach and poor performances off-lately. Rahul endured a forgettable T20 World Cup as he failed to score in crucial games against Pakistan, South Africa, and England. Following this, he was rested by the BCCI for the series against New Zealand.
The Indian cricket team is scheduled to play a three-match ODI series in Bangladesh. This series will also kickstart India’s preparations for the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023. As the World Cup 2023 is just a few months away the Indian side will have to fix its middle order. Ahead of the 1st ODI match against Bangladesh in Dhaka, India’s veteran keeper-batter Dinesh Karthik addressed the issue of finding a suitable batter for the no.5 spot in the Indian batting order.
India will have to decide between Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul to open the innings in the upcoming ODI series against Bangladesh alongside Rohit Sharma. Both Rahul and Shikhar have done well for Team India in the ODI format of the game, while Rahul has been used as a middle-order batter in the past. Dinesh Karthik feels that the opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan is non-negotiable for him, while the following two spots are also sealed by 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,”
Further, DK feels that the number 5 spot needs to be discussed and the team management has to pick between Rahul and Pant for the spot. While both Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul are going through a lean patch in their careers, Dinesh Karthik backed KL Rahul over Rishabh Pant for the no.5 spot in the batting order.
Yes, speaking to Cricbuzz, Dinesh Karthik said that KL Rahul would be a better choice in the middle order instead of the opening position. DK feels that KL Rahul would be a proper middle-order batter for the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023. He said:
“(Number) five is where we need to discuss. There will be a 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.“
