KL Rahul vs Shikhar Dhawan battle might have its answer in Australia ODI series
"People must stop pitting people against each other and I don't believe in doing that at all," was what Kohli said on Friday when asked about the little competition that has been taking shape at the top of India's batting order. Some would call that a nice little dodge from the Indian skipper, but come the Australia ODI series at home, the team management would have to come to a conclusion over the new hotly debated topic of the Indian cricket - KL Rahul or Shikhar Dhawan as Rohit Sharma's opening partner.
Yes, it is an ODI series that India will be playing against Australia, but this debate between Rahul and Dhawan is not just limited to T20Is. So far, the discussion has been related to the T20I format more so because India played just one ODI series since World Cup 2019 and one of the three contenders was sidelined. But with Rohit Sharma returning after the short break he took by missing the Sri Lanka T20I contest, the team management will have to decide who between Rahul and Dhawan will be India's preference. And choice is more likely to imply whether India are actually looking at a long-term goal by opting 25-year-old Rahul who has been averaging around 50 in the T20Is since 2019 and scored a century and two fifties in the world cup, or are India looking at the left-hand combination in 34-year-old Dhawan, who recently marked his return with a 52 in the third game against Sri Lanka and had scored a century against Australia in the World Cup.
The battle so far keeps Rahul ahead with the phenomenal form he is in since his World Cup return. He became India's new No.4 option at the start of World Cup, played two innings before being pushed to as an opener following Dhawan's injury. He scored two half-centuries - against Pakistan and Bangladesh - and then carved a sensational 111 against Sri Lanka. He was benched for the West Indies ODI series, played only one T20I and again sat out of the entire T20I series against South Africa at home to make way for Dhawan. But he made a strong return in the Bangladesh series and has since, consistently been part of India's limited-overs set up. In his last six T20I innings, he scored 315 runs at 52.50 with for half-centuries. And in the ODI series against West Indies, he scored 102 and 77 in the last two matches.
KL Rahul vs Shikhar Dhawan battle might have its answer in Australia ODI series
Dhawan has long served as the mainstay opener alongside Rohit. But his recent form in limited-overs cricket has pushed him into this debate. Since the 117 against Australia in World Cup, Dhawan played just two more ODIs, in West Indies, scoring only 38 runs in two innings. And in the 10 T20Is he played since World Cup, Dhawan managed 278 runs comprising only one half-century which he scored in Pune - his first in 14 months in the format.
Despite the numbers and form favouring Rahul, Dhawan stands a chance of pipping the youngster. His 52 against Sri Lanka on Friday was not a struggling knock. He along with Rahul added 97 runs to the board as part of the opening stand. And while Rahul dominated the stand in the first half, allowing Dhawan to settle in, the left-hander opened up quickly with four boundaries in the final two overs of the powerplay and soon took the role of the aggressor. From there on, Dhawan flourished with a tad better strike rate than Rahul and played lesser false shots as he did in the first half.
Another point tilting towards Dhawan is his record against Australia. He averages 42.39 against the Aussies and has also scored four centuries and as many fifties. Tow of his tons came in his last three innings against Australia.
Yet, the question will still stand, one which fans and analysts will be eager to know. Amid Rahul's rising form, India did manage to evade the question given Rohit's absence and Dhawan's injury. But with Rohit slated to be back with Dhawan and Rahul, who will India go with against Australia in the ODIs?
