Former Indian selector Saba Karim reckons KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma will open the innings for the Indian team in the Asia Cup and also the T20 World Cup. Rahul has been named as the vice-captain in the Asia Cup squad and he is expected to open the innings with Rohit Sharma.
Meanwhile, KL Rahul will return to action in the three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe and he will look to hit the ground running. Rahul had last played competitive cricket in IPL 2022 while leading Lucknow Super Giants. Since then he has been out of action due to injury and health issues.
Saba Karim wants KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav to be India’s top four batters in the Asia Cup.
“KL Rahul being the vice-captain, I look at him as an opener with Rohit Sharma. I look at Virat Kohli at number 3 and Suryakumar Yadav at number 4,” Saba said on Sports18’s daily show Sports Over The Top.
Meanwhile, the former Indian wicket-keeper believes the options for number four, five and six in the batting order should be flexible according to the match situation. Karim picked Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya to be India’s number five and six in the batting line-up.
“But you know what, 4,5,6 has to be a very flexible kind of a position because in a T20 format, you look at 4,5,6 who can finish games for you and can also double up as a power hitter when required, can also stabilise the innings. Those three batters at 4,5,6, my choice would be Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant,” he said.
He continued, “And you can move them around depending on the number of overs you’re left with. But KL Rahul in my opinion, should bat up the order with Rohit Sharma.”
India will begin their Asia Cup campaign against Pakistan at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai on 28th August.
India has experimented a lot with their batting order in the recent past and it will be interesting to note their strategy.
