Kohli usually plays at No. 3… but look at Ishan’s form’: Gambhir identifies fresh IND XI roles for Nepal Asia Cup tie
Kohli usually plays at No. 3… but look at Ishan’s form : While veteran India cricketer Gautam Gambhir did not opine on the rest of the line-up, he did suggest a rejig of the batting order for the match against Nepal.
Captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid are unlikely to make any changes in India’s playing XI for the second and final group game of the 2023 Asia Cup, slated to be played at the Pallekele Stadium. The only forced change that India will have pertains to replacing Jasprit Bumrah in the line-up with Mohammed Shami or Prasidh Krishna as the star bowler returned to Mumbai on Sunday night for the birth of his first child. While veteran India cricketer Gautam Gambhir did not opine on the rest of the line-up, he did suggest a rejig of the batting order for the match against Nepal.
It will be India’s first international match against Nepal, who will head into the contest after losing by 238 runs in their opener against hosts Pakistan in Multan last week. India, on the other hand, were forced to share a point with the Babar Azam-led side as the blockbuster clash in Pallekele on Saturday was washed out due to rain.
The final Group B encounter in Kandy hence remains a do-or-die match for both sides with the winner set to join Pakistan in Super Four. In case of another washout, with 89 per cent probability of precipitation in Pallekele, India will go through having accumulated two points in all in the group stage.
Ahead of the match against Nepal, Gambhir, speaking to Star Sports, suggested that India should open with Ishan Kishan after his splendid show in the match against Pakistan where he scored 82 off 81, in his first appearance in the format as a No. 5 batter. It was his seventh ODI fifty and fourth in a row.
The former India opener felt that Shubman Gill and Ishan should pair up together at the top of the order followed by either Rohit or Virat Kohli, explaining that young batters should always be allowed to bat at their most comfortable position, as he highlighted his record double ton scored last year as an opener
“I feel Ishan should have opened for India with Shubman Gill. Now if Rohit wants to play at No. 3 then he can, then Kohli will be at No. 4 or the opposite. You should always allow a youngster to play at his most comfortable position. Yes you can debate that Rohit and Gill are a more settled opening pair, with Kohli usually playing at No. 3 and Shreyas Iyer at 4. But look at the form that Ishan Kishan is in right now. He has a 200 in ODIs, has scored three fifties in a row while opening in the previous tour,” he said.
It will be worth watching whether India would want to experiment in the game against Nepal with the top order wanting to gain some confidence after their struggle against the likes of Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf in the Pakistan tie. Also, India would want to keep Ishan ready as a No. 5 option as well with KL Rahul’s vulnerability to injuries. The latter, as per reports, is slated to join the Indian team in Sri Lanka shortly.
