Rahul opened the batting with Dhawan in the ODIs against South Africa in Rohit’s absence, even as the experiment with Rishabh Pant at No.4 continued. The batting line-up, however, did not fire and the visitors ended up being blanked 0-3.
Speaking ahead of the ODIs against West Indies at home, Sharma said on the “Khelneeti” podcast that Dhawan as opener and Rahul at four will strengthen the batting. He stated:
Dhawan looks set to miss out on the entire ODI series against the West Indies, having tested positive for COVID-19 along with a few other players. Rahul, meanwhile, will be available from the second ODI onwards.
“Rahul at No.4 and Pant at No.5 will make the line-up look a lot stronger” - Nikhil Chopra
Former India cricketer Nikhil Chopra backed Sharma’s views and added that Pant must be moved down to the No.5 position. He said:
Regarding the decision to bat Pant at No.4, Sharma explained that the Indian think tank has been forced to make the move because there are no left-handers in the middle order. He elaborated:
Pant had a mixed series in South Africa, registering scores of 16, 85 and 0 in the three-match ODI series.
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