Team India will resume its preparations for the home ODI World Cup on Thursday when the side takes on the West Indies in the first of three matches in Barbados. West Indies may have endured a brutal last month when they failed to qualify for the marquee fifty-over tournament this year, but will hope to present a strong challenge in home conditions for the Rohit Sharma-led side. As far as the Indian team is concerned, the side will look to dish out solid performances but faces one significant concern over its batting order, which, if not addressed soon, could come to bite the side come the bigger tournaments.
Team India is without its first-choice wicketkeeper in KL Rahul, and Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson are part of the ODI squad for the Windies tour. While both, Rahul and Samson have played in the middle-order for India, Ishan has primarily been an opening batter, and former India opener Aakash Chopra has warned that it could become an issue for the side going forward.
Also read: ‘In constant touch with the NCA…’: Rohit Sharma drops fresh ‘Ireland’ update over Jasprit Bumrah's potential return
Chopra, on his official YouTube channel, insisted that the wicketkeepers in the side cannot have different batting positions, as replacement would become difficult.
“If Rahul remains injured, Sanju Samson will come in. Because there's place in middle-order but no space in the opening order. Can Ishan Kishan play in the middle-order? He might, but you haven't played him there yet. I think Ishan's place is not dependent on his performances. It's dependent on what the balance of the team is,” Chopra said.
{{/usCountry}}“If Rahul remains injured, Sanju Samson will come in. Because there's place in middle-order but no space in the opening order. Can Ishan Kishan play in the middle-order? He might, but you haven't played him there yet. I think Ishan's place is not dependent on his performances. It's dependent on what the balance of the team is,” Chopra said.
{{/usCountry}}Stressing on the batting order conundrum, Chopra stated that Shubman Gill has more or less cemented his place in the opening role for the side. While Shikhar Dhawan is out of reckoning for national selection – not even finding a place in the Asian Games squad – the BCCI might have given the indication that they have moved on from the star opener. With captain Rohit being Shubman's partner, Chopra believes it may become difficult for Ishan Kishan to fit into the side.
“If you're picking a second WK, he must be batting at the same place as your first-choice keeper. If he bats at a different position, it's radically different. For example, if KL Rahul gets injured and isn't available for selection, you have Ishan Kishan as back-up. But Ishan opens. So will he be slotted in the opening role and you would send Shubman Gill down? Or will Ishan play in the middle-order, knowing that you haven't played him in that role long enough?” Chopra asked.
“Logically, Ishan Kishan is a frontrunner for the third opener and second wicketkeeper role, but when you think about it, your first-choice is a middle-order batter.”
Rohit and the team management, thus, would be aiming at solving the dilemma in the Windies series. It is worth noting that the three-ODI series in the Caribbean is India's last bilateral assignment before the Asia Cup, that begins on August 30. India will, however, take part in another three-match ODI series right before the World Cup, when it hosts Australia.