Published: Mar 20, 2021, 03:22 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 20, 2021, 03:22 PM (IST)
With series at stake, Virat Kohli and Co. will look to fix little loopholes before they step on to the field for the fifth and final T20 international against England at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahemdabad on Saturday – March 18. After outsmarting the strong England side in challenging conditions, India will back themselves to win the series-decider but need to be well prepared for the final battle. However, in the final game – a lot of focus will be on opener KL Rahul, who has failed not once or twice but four times in the ongoing England series. The right-handed batsman has aggregated just 15 in the four matches. He had a string of poor scores — 1,0,0 before he made 14 in the fourth match.
Going by the latest report from Indian camp, it is expected that Rahul might get replaced by veteran and more experienced Shikhar Dhawan or young Ishant Kishan – only if he gets fit on-time – in the fifth T20I against England on Saturday. But the chances of Dhawan getting a look-in are more as the experienced southpaw batted for long at the nets on Friday, the eve of the series decider.
Dhawan, who was dropped after the first T20I, has been warming the benches in the series. However, his experience of 65 T20Is might tempt the team management to pick the stylish left-hander in India’s playing XI for final match. Dhawan had made a 12-ball four in the first T20I.
The 35-year-old Dhawan’s returns in T20 Internationals have been 1, 52, 28 and 4 post-lockdown with the sole half-century coming on Australia tour a few months ago.
Meanwhile, the 22-year-old Kishan had also impressed in his debut game during the second T20I against England, hammering a blistering half-century and guided India a series-levelling win over England.
India also have an option of playing Rahul in the middle-order. He hasn’t batted out of top three since November 2018.
Despite the backing of captain Virat Kohli and batting coach Vikram Rathour – Rahul’s confidence as a batsman seem low on the fied and it would not be an exaggeration to say that the time is running out for ‘India’s best T20 batsman’.
