India will take on Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series at home, starting from January 5. The Men in Blue were in magnificent form in recent times and are expected to thrash the Lankans too. However, a lot will be in stakes for Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan who will be making a comeback in the upcoming series after recovering from a knee injury. With Rohit Sharma being rested for the series, the left-handed batsman is certain to open with KL Rahul but will have to do exceptionally well in order to continue being India’s first-choice opener. India vs Sri Lanka 1st T20I 2020: IND Predicted Playing XI; Jasprit Bumrah, Shikhar Dhawan All Set for a Comeback.

Dhawan, 34, has represented India in 58 T20Is in which he amassed 1504 runs at an average of 27.85. So, the dashing batsman does have an ample amount of experience in the shortest format of the game. However, the Delhi-born cricketer didn’t enjoy a great in 2019 as he suffered from a few injuries and missed a lot of matches. In the meantime, KL Rahul put up some brilliant performances and has made his case stronger for being India’s first-choice opener. Meanwhile, let’s look at three reasons why Shikhar Dhawan will have to perform exceptionally well in the upcoming series to stay India’s first-choice opener. India vs Sri Lanka Series 2020 Schedule in IST, Free PDF Download

Age

With being 34, time is recently running out for the left-handed batsman as the selectors will also have an eye on the future assignments and the batsman will have to put up a scintillating to prove himself again. Also, the likes Devdutt Pallikal and Prithvi Shaw are consistently performing in the domestic circuit and will eye a spot in India’s squad for T20 World Cup.

KL Rahul’s Good Form

One person who has benefitted from Dhawan’s injury was KL Rahul as the right-handed batsman played some significant knocks and is expected to continue to open the batting in T20Is ahead of Dhawan. Also, he is currently placed at the 8th spot in the ICC T20I batting rankings and if he manages to overshadow his opening partner in the upcoming series, Dhawan’s way in T20Is will certainly become more difficult.

Injuries

In 2019, the left-handed batsman had to deal with many injuries and which made him miss many matches. He was ruled out of 2019 World Cup after suffering from a thumb injury while a cut in the left-knee the reason of Dhawan’s ouster in the series against West Indies. So, selectors will surely not ignore of the cricketer becoming injury-prone and thus, his fitness will also be challenged in the upcoming affair.

These factors must also be doing rounds in Dhawan’s mind and the batsman will eye to make a roaring comeback against the Lankans. Also, one must not forget Dhawan’s tendency to perform in big stages and thus, he will not put his guards down easily.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 02, 2020 11:17 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).