‘He can even score a double hundred in ODIs’: Aakash Chopra wants 28-year-old batsman to open for Team India in Australia
There will be a void at the top of the order. Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, and Sanju Samson will be fighting out for an openers spot in the team.
The first match of India’s tour of Australia will be played on November 27th at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The first One Day International of the three-match series will see both the teams fight it out with each other to gain momentum in the contest. There will be a notable absentee in the team as vice-captain Rohit Sharma will sit out as he is still recovering from an injury.
There will be a void at the top of the order created by Rohit’s absence. Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, and Sanju Samson will be fighting out for an openers spot in the team. But former India international Aakash Chopra wants Team India to go with Rahul at the opener’s slot as he has the ability to hit a double hundred in ODIs.
“My heart says that KL Rahul should open because the sort of player he is, he scores hundreds and in my opinion, if he plays very well he can even score a double hundred in ODIs. You have got to make him open if you want to do justice to his abilities,” Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.
As a batsman, KL Rahul was utterly impressive in the recently Indian Premier League (IPL). With 670 runs to his credit, Rahul came out as the highest run-scorer of the tournament. He ticked all the boxes as batsman, but how successful was he as a captain in IPL 2020? Under Rahul’s leadership, KXIP lost six out of first seven games. Later, they bounced back with five wins on a row and then lost the last two matches in league phase, failing to make it to the playoffs.
Following KXIP’s track record this season, Chopra opined that Rahul will have to take some of the blame as the team was unable to find their ideal XI.
“I was 50-50 with KL Rahul’s captaincy. Because he will have to take some of the blame for Kings XI Punjab not being able to find their ideal XI. I am sure these are the decisions of the team management and all of that but you also play a part. So that is an issue because it took some time to understand,” said Chopra in his YouTube video.