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Cricket Players'Don't forget Ishan was Player of the tournament for MI in...': Ashwin's stern reminder amid IND XI debate for PAK clash
Ishan has never batted outside the top 4 and has a double century to his name while opening the order. Hence the question - where will Ishan bat?
The one and only question that the Indian team needs to answer heading into the blockbuster clash against Pakistan on Saturday in the 2023 Asia Cup pertains to filling that KL Rahul gap in the batting order. It would have been simple if the replacement, almost certain to be Ishan Kishan, also a wicketkeeper-batter, could fill the No. 5 role. But Ishan has never batted outside the top 4 and has a double century to his name while opening the order. Hence the question - where will Ishan bat? While the question was never posed directly to captain Rohit Sharma in the pre-match presser at the Pallekele International Stadium on Friday, veteran bowler Ravichandran Ashwin gave a stern-reminder of Ishan's abilities as a middle-order batter.
Of his 16 innings so far in ODI cricket, since his debut in 2021, Ishan has opened the batting six times for India scoring 425 runs at 70.83 with a double ton and three fifties. He has batted at No. 3 four times, where he scored 59 against Sri Lanka in 2021 and 93 against South Africa in 2022. And at No. 4, he batted as many times he opened for India, but averaged only 21.20.
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While the numbers suggest that Ishan should open for India rather than bat at a position he has never done in ODIs, it would imply that the likes of Gill and Kohli would have to either go down the order or the former will have to make way for a specialist middle-order batter in Suryakumar Yadav. However, with India up against their arch-rivals Pakistan, they are unlikely to tinker with the batting positions of Rohit, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli, leaving Ishan at No. 5.
As the debate continues, even on Ashwin's weekly episode on his YouTube channel, the veteran India off-spinner reminded that in IPL 2020 season, Ishan had won the Player of the Tournament award for Mumbai Indians while batting at No. 4 only.
"You guys keep saying experiment. England look the strongest and balanced team in ODIs at the moment, but even they don't experiment. They have the same top 3. They will experiment maybe after 30 overs. Don't forget, Ishan Kishan was the player of the tournament in IPL 2020 for Mumbai Indians in Dubai. But he batted at No.4. He did not open the innings," he said.
Contrary to Ashwin's remark, Ishan did open in that season, four times, scoring 139 runs with two fifties. But the bulk of his runs came while batting at No. 4, where he scored 314 runs in nine innings at 44.9.
Team India has already taken a call
According to a report in Indian Express, the Indian team management seems to have already taken a call on the debate. It says that Rohit is unwilling to experiment in a high-octane game against Pakistan and hence Ishan will be slotted in the middle-order.
