KL Rahul: India's Next Limited-Overs Opener
KL Rahul's wonderful show in the Indian Premier League will give him the much needed confidence for the Zimbabwe tour as he looks to stake his claim for the opener's spot in India's limited-overs side
Highlights
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KL Rahul is set to make his ODI debut vs Zimbabwe on Saturday
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He was the third-highest run-getter for RCB in IPL 2016
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Rahul also has two Test hundreds against Australia and Sri Lanka
KL Rahul has always defied the odds in his short international career. After a poor Test debut against Australia in Melbourne, he bounced back in style with a magnificent hundred in Sydney. On a tricky Colombo wicket, when batsmen struggled, Rahul showed his class with a brilliant century that changed the course of the match and helped India clinch the series against Sri Lanka.
Initially, Rahul was labelled as a Test specialist. However, he shattered perceptions in grand style during the 2016 Indian Premier League. Playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore, he put on a magnificent show with the bat. With Virat Kohli's 973 runs dominating the tournament, not much attention was given to Rahul's contributions. He was the most consistent player for RCB, scoring 397 runs at an average of 44.1. Rahul even ended up as the third-highest run-getter in the tournament and it was this performance which sealed his spot in the limited-overs squad for the Zimbabwe series.
The short tour of Zimbabwe gives Rahul and other youngsters the chance to prove their mettle at the top level. A good performance will give Indian selectors an option to look beyond Shikhar Dhawan, who has struggled to perform in ODIs and T20Is.
After a sparkling debut against Australia in Mohali in 2013, Dhawan has been found wanting in tough conditions and against quality bowling attacks. During India's tour of Australia in 2016, the southpaw got into form when the team had lost the series. In Twenty20s too, Dhawan hasn't been able to fire. In the Asia Cup 2016, he managed only 19 runs in three games before chipping in with a 60 against Bangladesh in the final to help India to win the title. However, during the World T20, Dhawan managed just 43 runs from four innings and was dropped for the all-important semi-final clash against West Indies.
In the 2016 Indian Premier League, Dhawan had a moderate time with the bat, scoring 501 runs at an average of 38 and at a strike-rate of 116.78. With Rahul performing better with the bat, he looks to be the right man to replace Dhawan in India's ODI XI.
A good performance from Rahul could see India have another option to partner Rohit Sharma at the top in ODIs and T20Is.