Team India is struggling with its opening combination in T20Is. Although KL Rahul has good numbers, he somehow has not been able to step up when India needs him the most. Even in the semi-final of the 2022 T20 World Cup, the Indian opener failed. Surely, Team India would want to consider alternatives for future T20 encounters. On that note, here, we take a look at two players who might replace KL Rahul as an opener in upcoming T20Is for India.
1) Prithvi Shaw
T20 WC SF2. WICKET! 1.4: K L Rahul 5(5) ct Jos Buttler b Chris Woakes, India 9/1 https://t.co/5t1NQ20L0B #INDvENG #T20WorldCup
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 10, 2022
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Prithvi Shaw is regarded as one of the most talented openers in the country. Especially when you look at where India lacks in the opening department, Prithvi is the most suitable candidate to open the innings. However, the Mumbai cricketer has not got his chances. This is despite him doing well in IPL and domestic cricket.
Nevertheless, Prithvi still has a chance to feature in the Indian Team. He must fix his fitness issues and if that is done, he still has hope. For India, though, the best bet is to groom Shaw in the opener’s role for the T20I format. He will give quick starts and this will reduce pressure on the middle-order batters. This way, India will have a balanced batting attack.
2) Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson is one of the players who might replace KL Rahul as an opener in upcoming T20Is for India. If India wants an experienced name, Sanju Samson is the best option. It looks like India is grooming him as a finisher but Samson can also be a really good option as an opener.
The Kerala batter is good against most types of bowling. When he gets going, it is hard to stop him. With the field restriction in place, with his intent, he can become even more dangerous. Therefore, Sanju can also be an option for management.
