By: Tarish Bhatt
Good news for the India team is that both Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane are amongst runs ahead of the selection committee meeting which would pick the 15-member squad for the Champions Trophy.
KL Rahul is likely to miss the Champions Trophy. Meanwhile, the game between the Rising Pune Supergiants and Mumbai Indians saw the emergence of Rahane and Rohit as possible candidates for the opening slot.
If Rahane did what he does best by playing a very crucial knock, Rohit came very close to winning the game for Mumbai with a stroke-filled 58 off 39 deliveries. More importantly, they got those runs when it mattered the most.
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Yes, the selectors may not be banking on the IPL forms to pick youngsters for the mini World Cup. But from what it appears that they would certain consider the forms of the proven players in IPL before naming the squad.
Therefore, all the talk about who is going to open the Indian innings to tackle the seaming conditions in England can rest for while. It isn’t easy for a batsman to start scoring right after a long injury lay-off.
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Still, Rohit was at it. Even Rahane isn’t someone who would take things lying down. He works hard for his runs and Monday was no different. So, who is going to be the third opener? Will Shikhar Dhawan make the cut?
There is section in Delhi cricket who believes that Dhawan would have to score more runs before getting picked in the Indian Cricket Team. But there are a few, who won’t mind Dhawan as a regular opening as well.
Whether the selectors would eventually opt for the Rohit-Rahane pair or Rohit-Dhawan combo would eventually determine the combination of the Indian team for the ICC event.
