Ajit Agarkar on Friday offered the most unique solution to Team India’s opening conundrum for the ODI series against West Indies amid the KL Rahul debate, which he wants the Indian management to solve.
Since 2020, KL Rahul has batted 10 times in the middle order, at No.4 or 5, scoring 554 runs at 69.25 with two centuries and four half-centuries. However, with Rohit Sharma absent from the ODIs in South Africa last month, KL Rahul, who was the stand-in skipper during that contest, opened for India, which left Ajit Agarkar disappointed.
Ajit Agarkar: Indian Team Management Should Decide Whether KL Rahul Is An Opener Or Middle Order Batsman
Speaking on the Star Sports show Game Plan, Ajit Agarkar found it difficult to understand the logic behind the constant change of batting position of KL Rahul and feels that he should only open in the impending three-match contest against West Indies at home if he is seen as a long-term opening option for India.
“I think that’s the first thing they need to decide, whether he is an opener or a middle-order batter because he captained in South Africa and he opened, which to me, it was a little bit disappointing because he had been successful at the No. 4 or 5 position, that’s the role they were looking at,” said Ajit Agarkar.
KL Rahul will not be available for the first ODI match against West Indies and hence, following Shikhar Dhawan and Ruturaj Gaikwad testing positive for Covid-19, the selectors added Mayank Agarwal and Ishan Kishan to the squad. On the eve of the first ODI against the West Indies, Indian captain Rohit Sharma revealed that he will open the batting alongside Ishan Kishan.
Ajit Agarkar Suggests To Promote Rishabh Pant As An Opener
The veteran Indian pacer also said regarding India’s selection headache questioning Shikhar Dhawan’s future in the team if KL Rahul is picked as an opener. Shikhar Dhawan, who averages 45.8 in his ODI career scored 169 runs averaging 56.33 in 3 ODIs against Proteas.
“That will be interesting to see because Shikhar Dhawan is there as well. I am not sure in another year or year-and-a-half’s time where Shikhar Dhawan would be even though he has got runs in South Africa,” Ajit Agarkar said.
The 44-year-old then suggested a unique solution saying that India can hand the opening slot to one of their explosive batters in Ishan Kishan or Rishabh Pant, although he remains unsure about the solution.
Ishan Kishan has so far played just two ODIs for Team India thus far, both against Sri Lanka. He smashed 60 runs at a strike rate of 130.43 with a top score of 59. In 7 games for the senior national team(5 T20Is, 2 ODIs), Ishan Kishan has got 173 runs with a strike rate touching 130 in both formats.
“You have got a couple of explosive players, someone like an Ishan Kishan or even someone like a Rishabh Pant, who knows whether it’s worth giving him a go at the top of the order,” he said.
The ODI series will begin from February 6 onwards with all matches being played in Ahmedabad, behind closed doors. Ishan Kishan was originally part of only the T20I squad which will start on February 16 in Kolkata but the selectors asked him to join the squad amid the Covid-19 outbreak in the Indian camp.
Notable that 7 members in the Indian camp had been tested positive for Covid-19 which included 4 players- Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and net bowler Navdeep Saini. Mayank Agarwal was added to the squad and he is still in isolation. He joined late and there are some rules in place. If someone is travelling, one has to put him in mandatory 3-day quarantine. He has still not finished his quarantine, so Ishan Kishan will open the innings.