Aakash Chopra wants India to retain Ishan Kishan for the Asia Cup 2023 Super Four encounter against Pakistan and not bring back KL Rahul in their playing XI. The two arch-rivals will go head-to-head on Sunday, September 10 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. While Rahul was unavailable for the Men in Blue in the first two matches of the tournament due to injury, Kishan scored 82 off 81 balls. Batting at No.5 in the Group A game between the two sides.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra admitted that Rahul needs to be given a chance. However, he wants the Karnataka wicketkeeper-batsman to wait for some time, saying:
“The question will be whether Ishan Kishan or KL Rahul will play. Ideally, if you have kept KL Rahul in the provisional squad for the World Cup, at some stage you have to play him, so you can play him now.”
The former Indian opener added:
“However, can you drop Ishan Kishan? You cannot do it now. KL Rahul will have to wait for now because I am not going to touch either Shreyas Iyer or Ishan Kishan in this match, and I am not going to say anything about Hardik Pandya as well.”
The Indian team management will definitely be in a dilemma to choose between Kishan, Rahul and Shreyas Iyer. While the Jharkhand wicketkeeper-batsman has staked his claim for a middle-order spot with his innings against Pakistan, the latter two need to spend time in the middle due to long-term injuries.
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“You Will Really Know Whether He Is Suitable For That Stage Or Not” – Aakash Chopra Wants Ishan Kishan To Bat At No. 5
Aakash Chopra wants Ishan Kishan to continue to bat at No. 5 with the hope that he can be tested when opening the innings in the middle overs. he explained:
“You might have to go with an almost identical team in this match as far as batting is concerned. I want you to keep Ishan once again at No. 5, because assuming he gets to bat around the 30th or 32nd over, then you will actually find out whether he is well-suited for that stage or not.”
The reputed commentator feels that if the youngster performs well starting his innings around the 30th over, he will cement his place ahead of KL Rahul. They said:
“Prima facie, when you see from a distance, it seems like if you get to straightaway bat in the 30th over, then KL Rahul is a better option between the two. If Ishan gets to bat in the 30th over and plays as well as he did when he got to bat in the powerplay in the last match, then Ishan Kishan.”
Aakash Chopra said that Kishan’s current form and providing a left-handed option in the middle overs will be beneficial for him. However, he concluded by saying that this does not mean the end of the road for Rahul as India still have a few matches where they can give him chances.
