Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul
Team India are yet to figure out their final 15 for the impending World T20 in Australia starting October this year. And one of the most intense battles for a place in the final playing XI for India is between KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan who are vying for the second opener's spot with Rohit Sharma being the first choice for the team management. On Tuesday, Indian skipper Virat Kohli opined on this competition.
Dhawan will be making his return to the format after being sidelined from the Indian squad in December owing to a knee injury he incurred during a domestic game in November. In his absence, Rahul piled up runs at will making Dhawan's possibility of becoming the second-choice opener, bleak.
Moreover, following a record-breaking 2018, where he piled up over 650 runs in the format, Dhawan managed only 272 runs in 12 innings at a below-par strike rate of 110.56. In the same period, Rahul scored 356 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 142.40.
When asked about the competition between the two, Kohli said, "There is healthy competition within the group. KL and Shikhar are brilliant players, vying for one spot. It's all about doing what's best for the team. Same team, no changes at all."
Earlier on Sunday, former Indian opener Krishnamachari Srikkanth threw his weight behind KL Rahul to be Rohit Sharma's opening partner for the World T20 Cup in Australia in October this year.
"Runs against SL (Sri Lanka) don't count. If I was chairman of selectors, I won't pick Dhawan in the T20 WC squad. There is no competition between him and Rahul. Only one winner," Srikkanth said on Star Sports Tamil.
Meanwhile, India won the toss and opted to bowl first while fielding an unchanged playing XI in the second T20I. The first game was abandoned due to rain and wet patches on the Guwahati track.
