"There's no place for Ishan Kishan and Shikhar Dhawan in India's T20 side" - Aakash Chopra 

Ex-India player Aakash Chopra recently stated that the likes of Ishan Kishan and Shikhar Dhawan might have fallen down the pecking order for a spot in Team India's T20 team.

The cricketer-turned-commentator opined that KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma will be the preferred openers for the team's upcoming assignments in the shortest format.

He pointed out that both Ishan Kishan and Shikhar Dhawan would have to wait for their chances in T20Is. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra said:

"There's no place for Ishan Kishan and Shikhar Dhawan in the T20I side. KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma will open. You have Virat Kohli at No. 3, followed by Suryakumar Yadav at 4. Hardik Pandya has come back and I'd have him in the playing XI and there's Rishabh Pant too. Rahul Tripathi can be considered for the No.5 spot."

Ishan Kishan has had a decent season for the Mumbai Indians (MI) so far in this year's cash-rich league. He has managed 370 runs from 13 games and has a batting average of 30.83.

However, he has struggled to perform consistently and has a surprisingly ordinary strike rate of 118.21.

Shikhar Dhawan, on the other hand, is currently the sixth-highest run-getter this season. The southpaw has been a top performer with the bat for Punjab Kings (PBKS) and has amassed 421 runs from 13 matches with an impressive average of 38.27.

"Rahul Tripathi can definitely find a place in India's T20 team" - Aakash Chopra

Chopra added that selectors can look at someone like Rahul Tripathi in T20Is as he has performed well in IPL 2022. He believes that the talented right-hander could be a great choice in the absence of Suryakumar Yadav.

However, he suggested that Rahul Tripathi would not be preferred ahead of Shreyas Iyer in the playing XI. He pointed out that Iyer was brilliant in the series against Sri Lanka and the management will continue to back him, especially in T20Is.

He added:

"With Suryakumar Yadav injured, he can definitely find a place in India's T20 team. He can be in the squad and then you can give him a chance whenever you can.

"I initially thought that he could be given a chance ahead of Shreyas Iyer. But Iyer played really well against Sri Lanka and I don't think he'd lose his place after an ordinary IPL season."

Rahul Tripathi has managed to impress many with his exploits with the bat this year. The 31-year-old has chipped in with several impactful performances for his franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

With 393 runs from 13 games, he is currently the leading run-getter for his side this season.