SL vs IND 2021: "Rohit Sharma & KL Rahul are currently ahead of him" - Ajit Agarkar on chances of Shikhar Dhawan opening for India at the T20 World Cup

Despite Shikhar Dhawan's brilliant run of form in IPL 2021, Ajit Agarkar believes the southpaw will find it hard to earn a place in India's playing XI at the upcoming T20 World Cup. Agarkar reckons KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma are India's first-choice openers in T20Is at the moment.

Shikhar Dhawan is set to lead Team India in the upcoming limited-overs series against Sri Lanka, starting on July 18.

Following Shikhar Dhawan's brilliant outing in the first half of the IPL, Agarkar feels the left-handed batsman hasn't done much wrong lately. However, the former Indian all-rounder explained that the Delhi Capitals (DC) star is still not a first-choice opening option for India in T20Is.

Answering a query by Hindustan Times during a virtual interaction facilitated by Sony Sports, Agarkar stated:

"I think he will have to put up scores, especially in T20Is. I don’t think he is doing anything wrong in the IPL. Rohit and KL Rahul are currently ahead of him. Rahul had a pretty average series against England but otherwise, his form has been exceptional in white-ball cricket."

High intensity and fully focused! Great first day of training in Sri Lanka 💪 pic.twitter.com/CFRewfCnoE

— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) July 2, 2021

Elaborating further, Agarkar stated Shikhar Dhawan could grab KL Rahul's place in India's World Cup squad if the left-hander fares well with the bat in the upcoming three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. He added:

"You almost felt like those two (Rohit and Rahul) had overtaken Shikhar but he keeps getting runs and that puts pressure on the likes of KL Rahul. Don’t think there is any doubt about Rohit’s place in the team, he’s the vice-captain in white-ball cricket. But you can certainly put pressure on Rahul and for that, you will have to score runs and that’s exactly what Shikhar needs to do to get his spot back in the XI.”

"I don’t think the captaincy will change anything for Shikhar Dhawan" - Ajit Agarkar

Ready for the big tour 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/OoYDfs6NNI

— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) June 27, 2021

Being handed captaincy duties showcases the trust the selectors and the team management have in a certain player. However, Ajit Agarkar reckons the only way Shikhar Dhawan can make his case to be part of India's playing XI at the upcoming T20 World Cup is by scoring big runs against Sri Lanka as the captaincy role won't count for much. The former al-rounder explained:

"I don’t think the captaincy will change anything. Even if India win this series 6-0, I don’t think it will make a difference to his spot as far as batting is concerned. It’s the runs that will matter."

Team India have been playing intrasquad games in preparation for the upcoming limited-overs series against Sri Lanka. The series had to be rescheduled after cases of COVID-19 emerged inside the hosts' camp.

6⃣ New Faces 🙌6⃣ Matches 👌Who are you excited to watch in action the most❓#TeamIndia #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/K0I4KXNeS3

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 13, 2021