T20I IND vs SL: Opening conundrum

Shikhar Dhawan under pressure to cement his place at the top while in-form KL Rahul waits in wings as India take on Sri Lanka in second T20I tonight.

T20I IND vs SL: Opening conundrum

India's Shikhar Dhawan during the third T20I against Bangladesh at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur in November. Pic/AFP

Indore: A washed-out series-opener means Shikhar Dhawan has one game less to make a statement in his quest to outperform an in-form KL Rahul, making the opener's fortunes an interesting sub-plot of India's second T20I against Sri Lanka here today.

Dhawan, 34, is a proven performer in limited-overs cricket, but with age on Rahul's side (27), time is running out for the easy-going Delhi-based cricketer to cement his place for the T20 World Cup later this year.

The left-hander's strike rate in the shortest format has been an issue for a while and that is one thing he must address in the remaining two matches against Sri Lanka. The fact that Dhawan is coming back from an injury, makes his task all the more challenging.

KL Rahul

In the year that went by, Dhawan managed 272 runs in 12 games at a strike rate of 110. Rahul, on the other hand, has made the most of his opportunities at the top and was in scintillating form in the previous limited-overs series (three ODIs and three T20s) against the West Indies, scoring a hundred and three fifties in six innings.

Former India opener and chief selector Krishnamachari Srikanth has gone to the extent of saying that there is no competition between Dhawan and Rahul as the latter is way ahead in the race to be Rohit Sharma's partner in the T20 World Cup in Australia. Skipper Virat Kohli too has stated that choosing between Dhawan and Rahul will be a tough call after Rohit, who is rested from the Sri Lanka series, returns to opening the innings.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels