“KL Rahul has got a lifeline” – Reetinder Singh Sodhi on  India’s ODI squad for Sri Lanka series

Reetinder Singh Sodhi believes that KL Rahul got a lifeline after he was picked in the India squad for the ODI series against Sri Lanka. The statement came following Rahul's lean patch with the bat across formats.

The former India cricketer warned that the right-hander has to perform or he’ll be dropped from the ODIs, like in T20Is.

Speaking on India News, Reetinder Singh Sodhi said:

“KL Rahul has got a lifeline. If he doesn’t perform, he'll be shown the exit door.”

KL Rahul was dropped from the T20I squad following his failures in the T20 World Cup. The right-hander could only manage 128 runs in six games, including single-digit scores each against England, South Africa, and Pakistan.

Rahul followed it up with scores of 73, 14, and 8 in the recently concluded 50-over series in Bangladesh. He also failed in the two-Test series against the same team, scoring just 57 runs in four innings.

It’s worth mentioning that all-rounder Hardik Pandya has replaced KL Rahul as Team India’s ODI vice-captain.

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“He needs to score runs in domestic cricket” – Reetinder Singh Sodhi as Shikhar Dhawan dropped from ODIs

Reetinder Singh Sodhi also pointed out that Shikhar Dhawan, who was India's stand-in ODI captain in New Zealand, has been dropped for Sri Lanka series. He believes that the southpaw needs to perform in domestic cricket to make his comeback ahead of the 2023 World Cup.

He said:

“Shikhar Dhawan didn’t find a place. He needs to score runs in domestic cricket.”

Dhawan scored just 18 runs in three ODIs against Bangladesh. He was also poor with the bat against New Zealand and South Africa, scoring 103 and 25 runs in the three-match series, respectively. He scored a solitary half-century in the last 11 innings, which came in the first game against NZ.

The left-hander will look forward to another breakthrough IPL season with the Punjab Kings to make his national comeback.