"KL Rahul Hasn't Found His Touch": Wasim Jaffer Wants This India Star To Open vs Pakistan

04.09.2022 - 07:57 sports.ndtv.com

India take on Pakistan for the second time in this Asia Cup campaign on Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium. India had come out on top the last time the two teams met, at the same venue a week earlier, but will have to make some adjustments to their team with Ravindra Jadeja out injured.

Jadeja played a crucial role in India's win, as he was the only left-hander in the lineup to counter Mohammad Nawaz's left-arm spin and Shadab Khan's legspin.

With Jadeja ruled out and KL Rahul struggling for form, former India batter Wasim Jaffer suggested dropping the latter in favour of Rishabh Pant at the top of the order. "I'd be tempted, especially against Pakistan, to throw in Pant as an opener," Jaffer said. "KL Rahul hasn't found his touch yet, even though he is a class player, don't get me wrong.

But just on current form, he hasn't played much cricket, so I'd be tempted to play Pant there, because if he bats through the Powerplay with Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan to bowl, it's a dangerous proposition.

cricket India Cricket Team 2022 Rishabh Pant Kl Rahul India Dubai Hong Kong Pakistan Hong Kong

The Indian men's cricket team is not looking in the best shape and that was visible yet again during the 1st T20I against Australia in Mohali on Tuesday. Just days after their unceremonious exit from the Asia Cup after back-to-back losses to Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the Indian team failed to defend a 200-run plus target and as a result conceded a 0-1 lead to Australia in the three-match series.

India vs Australia - KL Rahul Becomes 3rd Indian, After Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli, To Reach Big T20I Milestone

KL Rahul it seems is looking to change the perception around his batting in T20Is as he launched an attack on the Australian bowlers in the first match of the series against Australia in Mohali on Tuesday. India were dealt a twin blow as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli departed early. But Rahul held his own as he hit some delightful sixes to take India to a good score after 10 overs in the company of Suryakumar Yadav.

Wasim Jaffer Invokes MS Dhoni As He Asks Rohit Sharma To "Take A Punt" On Rishabh Pant

The Indian squad for the ICC T20 World Cup was announced on Monday and there wasn't any major surprise in the selection. There has been a lot of talk about the way India should bat when setting a target and several former players have been expressing their views on India's batting order. The latest to join the bandwagon is former India opener Wasim Jaffer.

"Don't Think Too Much": Ex-India Captain To KL Rahul on T20 World Cup

The Indian cricket team selectors went with a tried and tested squad for the 2022 T20 World Cup that starts in mid-October. Almost all the players, who featured in the Asia Cup found a place in the World Cup squad. Only Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel, who were recuperating from injury, have made a comeback to the side. The team will be led by Rohit Sharma while KL Rahul will be his deputy. The latter's form in the Asia Cup came under much scrutiny. Though he scored a half-century in India's last match at the Asia Cup against Afghanistan, he failed to score with a decent strike-rate in rest of the matches.

"Has Rohit Sharma-Like Abilities": Gautam Gambhir Backs This Off-Colour India Star

The Indian cricket team is going through a great run in the Asia Cup as it became the first side to enter the Super-4 stage. With wins over Pakistan and Hong Kong, the Rohit Sharma-led side looks a confident lot. Performances from players like Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar are great positives for Team India ahead of the T20 World Cup. However, one player who has failed to fire as expected is KL Rahul. He was out for a duck in the match against Pakistan, while against Hong Kong, Rahul scored 36 off 39 balls. His slow knock came under a lot of focus, however, he has found backing from former Indian cricket team batter Gautam Gambhir.

He Is "A Player For Whom You Create Space In Team": Parthiv Patel On India Star

The Indian team management decided to drop Rishabh Pant from the its playing XI for Asia Cup 2022 opener against Pakistan on Sunday. Dinesh Karthik was chosen as the wicket-keeper for the match and this sparked a lot of conversation among fans and pundits alike. Pant though was drafted into the XI for the match against Hong Kong but he didn't get a chance to bat.