Sharma reckons Ajinkya Rahane can be a useful opener for the Knight Riders. (P.C.: KKR Twitter)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.KolkataKnightRiders@KKRidersCalm before the storm... 🌪️@venkateshiyer @NitishRana_27 @ajinkyarahane88 #KKR #KKRHaiTaiyaar #IPL2022 #GalaxyOfKnights #কেকেআর10:00 AM · Mar 25, 20221616112Calm before the storm... 🌪️@venkateshiyer @NitishRana_27 @ajinkyarahane88 #KKR #KKRHaiTaiyaar #IPL2022 #GalaxyOfKnights #কেকেআর https://t.co/VatLTA0rYAInjuries to Russell, Narine could prove to be a huge setback for KKR: Rajkumar SharmaThe 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.