Indian skipper and star batsman, Virat Kohli has spoken in favor of KL Rahul who is currently keeping the wickets for India in limited-overs cricket.
KL Rahul has continued to give consistent performance with the bat in the past few matches in the limited-overs format. But, his ability to also keep the wickets well has opened more options for India according to skipper Virat Kohli.
India’s opener Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out of the upcoming New Zealand T20Is due to shoulder injury. In Shikhar Dhawan’s absence, KL Rahul will likely open the innings for India in the New Zealand T20Is.
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Virat Kohli said in his press conference in Auckland: “(Shikhar Dhawan’s injury) will certainly alter a few plans for us… in the one-day game, we’ll have to think of sticking to the same what we did in Rajkot (second ODI), that will probably work best for us as a side, have another guy at the top and let KL just express himself at that position where he played really well.
“In T20 cricket, obviously the dynamics change a little bit more because we do have lower-order batsmen who have done well. We have a few more options there in terms of solidifying that spot and probably let KL bat at the top.
“Him doing really well with the gloves has really opened up another kind of scenario for us where it gives us a lot more balance in terms of playing an extra batter. If he can keep that well, and perform well with the bat, then why not? As I said, this is something that we are looking to continue for a while. And nothing taken away from anyone else, it’s just what brings the best balance to the side.”
India will play against New Zealand in a series of 5 T20Is, 3 ODIs, and 2 Tests. The first T20I will be played on Friday, January 24, and the tour will last till the 2nd Test which is set to start from 29 February.
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