Mohammed Kaif has explained why he would like to see Shubman Gill and Shikhar Dhawan open in the upcoming ODI series against Zimbabwe.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Gill and Dhawan were effective as the opening combination in West Indies
- Kaif feels India should persist with the in-form duo up top
- The former cricketer feels Rahul can come in at No.3
Former cricketer Mohammed Kaif has said that he would like to see Shubman Gill and Shikhar Dhawan open the innings during the ODI series against Zimbabwe.
Gill and Dhawan worked as the opening partners during the 50-over series against West Indies and were quite effective. The 22-year-old right-handed batter was even named as the Man of The Series for his exploits during the three-match series in the Carribean.
Now, Kaif has urged India to stick with the same combination for the upcoming series against Zimbabwe. During a media interaction, as quoted by News 18, the former India cricketer said that skipper KL Rahul can bat in the middle order as well. He stressed that Gill is in good form and made a good partnership with Dhawan in the West Indies.
“KL Rahul has played at No. 5 for India in ODIs before. But if he wants match practice, he can open, but he has played at No. 5 before. Gill is in good form, he made a good partnership with Shikhar Dhawan in the West Indies,” said Kaif.
Kaif went on to suggest that Rahul can come in at No.3 as well. However, the former cricketer said that the skipper for the Zimbabwe series needs match practice and it will ultimately depend on him where he decides to bat.
Kaif once again said that his preferred choice for opening would be Gill and Dhawan.
“Both Gill and Dhawan are in good form. So they can open and Rahul can come down at No. 3. Rahul needs match practice and he was injured, so it all depends on him and he is the captain. It’s his wish where he wants to bat as he is captain. But according to me, Shubman Gill and Shikhar Dhawan performed well against the West Indies and you would want to see them as openers. KL Rahul can bat at no. 3 also in Zimbabwe,” said Kaif.