"If KKR defines a role for Ajinkya Rahane to cash in on the powerplay, he is capable" - Rajkumar Sharma ahead of IPL 2022

Former Delhi Ranji Trophy cricketer and Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma has opened up on Ajinkya Rahane's role for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2022.

KKR had a superhit opening combination of Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer in the second half of last season. However, with Gill having joined the Gujarat Titans, the Knight Riders have a dilemma as to who should open with Iyer. Aaron Finch is unavailable for the first few games, leaving Rahane as the only possible option.

Many feel Rahane is just a Test specialist who might struggle with his strike rate in T20 cricket. However, Rajkumar Sharma stated on the YouTube podcast 'Khelneeti' that the 33-year-old is still capable of doing a decent job for his team. He opined:

"Ajinkya Rahane has been a terrific batter. It is only later that he was labeled as a Test cricketer. He has played some great knocks for the Rajasthan Royals and has also opened for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy in his early days. If KKR defines a role for him that he has to go and cash in on the powerplay, he is definitely capable of doing that."

Check out the orange cap in IPL 2022 here.

---

Injuries to Russell, Narine could prove to be a huge setback for KKR: Rajkumar Sharma

The West Indian duo of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine have been huge match-winners for the Knight Riders over the years. However, they have also been injury-prone and that could be a huge concern for their IPL team, according to Rajkumar Sharma. He stated:

"When your main players and impact players who are true match-winners get unfit, it is very difficult for a captain and the team management to replace him."

Sharma added:

"The kind of players that Andre Russell and Sunil Narine are, they can fail sometimes but you would still back them because on their day they can single-handedly win you games. So if they get injured, it will be a huge setback for their team."

Shreyas Iyer and his men will open their IPL 2022 schedule in a repeat of last year's final against the Chennai Super Kings on Saturday, March 26.