Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri urged the Indian team management to play the Indian wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan at the top of the order as the left-hander at the opening can be crucial for the team citing the example of the veteran Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan, who had been crucial for the team’s success in ODI cricket.
The Indian batting order is filled with Right-handed batters with Ravindra Jadeja being the lone Left-hander in the playing 11 as Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Hardik Pandya have almost sealed their place in the playing 11 for the Asia Cup 2023 and it would be interesting to see whether India open the batting with Ishan Kishan moving one of the openers down the order.
Speaking on Star Sports, Ravi Shastri wants to play Ishan Kishan at the top of the order, with other Indian top-order batters moving one step down the order and also hailed Indian veteran Shikhar Dhawan for his contribution to the Indian team and said that the absence of left-handed batter is a reason behind India’s loss in the 2019 World Cup semifinals.
“[Shall play Ishan Kishan] at the top of the order, nowhere else. And the others have to be flexible, Between Rohit, Virat, and Gill… that can be 2, 3, 4.”
“People don’t give credit to what Shikhar Dhawan deserves. That guy was an amazing player. We had a brilliant World Cup in 2019 but we lost the semi-final to New Zealand. He was the missing man there. A left-hander at the top of the order, as opposed to three right-handers, makes a huge difference when the ball is swinging away (swinging in for the right-handers),” Ravi Shastri said.
Ishan Kishan was the best batter for the Indian team in the West Indies ODI series scoring three consecutive half-centuries for the team and is likely to be part of the India squad for the Asia Cup 2023 but it will be interesting to see whether he is given opportunity to open the batting for the team in the continental event.
I Think Two Left-handers Have To Come In, Apart From The Top Four You Mentioned – Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri feels that the Indian team still has three other positions open in the side where at least two-left handers can come in for the ODI World Cup and urged the selectors to pick up the hot prospect for the team naming Tilak Varma and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
“There are three other positions where I think two left-handers have to come in, apart from the top four you mentioned. Now this is where the selectors’ role comes in because they are watching. They know who’s the guy who’s hot. If Tilak Varma is hot, bring him in. If you think Yashasvi Jaiswal is hot, bring him in,” Ravi Shastri added.
It would be a challenge for the Indian team to bring in Yashasvi Jaiswal or Tilak Varma to the team with the World Cup being scheduled in October-November, as these youngsters are yet to make their debut for the Indian team at the ODI cricket, as they would not have experience of playing against high-quality opponents in the mega-events.