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Sanjay Manjrekar believes Shikhar Dhawan has fallen behind the pecking order in the race for the opening slot in T20Is for India. The southpaw was dropped for the second T20I against England after scoring four off 12 balls in the first game.
Shikhar Dhawan's replacement, Ishan Kishan, won plaudits for his performance in his debut game, smashing an impressive 56 off 32 balls to guide India to a seven-wicket win in the second T20I.
Speaking about the competition for places at the top of the order, Sanjay Manjrekar believes that Shikhar Dhawan will find it hard to get a spot alongside Rohit Sharma.
"Rohit Sharma will certainly come back at the top. This(Competiton for places) is good news for Indian cricket, but you can imagine the pressure players must be feeling. They need to deliver in almost every game now. Someone who has taken a backseat in this race(for the opening slot) is Shikhar Dhawan. Ishan Kishan has taken a leap forward. KL Rahul will have to show some form. So it is like musical chairs." Manjrekar said in a chat with ESPNCricinfo.
With the T20 World Cup set to take place in India later this year, performances in the ongoing series could go a long way in deciding a player's fate regarding their spot in the World Cup squad.
Shikhar Dhawan usually manages to up his game for the ICC events, and his experience cannot be ignored. However, Manjrekar believes he is unlikely to make a claim for the opening slot in T20Is.
Sanjay Manjrekar believes KL Rahul must be feeling the pressure
Despite KL Rahul being seen as an established player in India's T20 setup, Manjrekar said that the Karnataka batsman might be feeling the pressure after his recent failures.
"Something which astonishes me is that a player who seems like a superstar just two weeks back suddenly could be vulnerable. That thing is happening with KL Rahul. He has now seen two failures. If you just go on his last two performances, he must be feeling the pressure." added Manjrekar.
Ishan Kishan's fearless approach in the second T20I has undoubtedly thrown the race for the opening slot wide open. It remains to be seen who will cement their place at the top of the order going into the T20 World Cup.
