Team India’s head coach Rahul Dravid hailed Indian wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan for his well-composed knock against West Indies in the 2nd ODI to score his third consecutive half-century on the Caribbean soil. The 25-year-old is seen as a backup opener and Wicket-keeper for the World Cup later this year.
Ishan Kishan has done phenomenally well for the Indian team in the ODI Cricket in the limited opportunities. As a left-hander can be crucial for India as he can play both in the top and middle order and can change the complexion of a match quickly.
Speaking to the media, Rahul Dravid lauded Ishan Kishan for his sensible knock on a pretty tough wicket in Barbados and reckons that it was expected from the youngsters in the team and wants to give them as much as opportunity possible ahead of the all-important ODI World Cup later this year.
“I think Ishan has done well. This is his third fifty in a row, counting Test One as well. Again he is someone who is taking the opportunity when he is given the chance. I think that’s all we asked from a young player. We want to give them as many chances as we possibly can. We can’t give everyone a chance all the time; there are other talented guys as well. We try our best to give them as many chances as possible,” Rahul Dravid said.
The toss will be between Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson for the second wicket-keeper spot in the team as the southpaw has amassed 617 runs at a good average of 44.07 in 16 ODIs, including an outstanding 210-run knock in the game against Bangladesh, and can be a crucial player for the Indian team going forward.
We Need To Get Some Answers For Specific Positions – Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid said that these games help to make some decisions on the player’s selection for the Asia Cup and ODI World Cup and revealed that it was the reason behind resting Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as playing these games are not as important as others in the team.
“Today, to give people chances, Rohit and Virat sat out, and we may have to take those risks because if you are looking at the big tournaments, then we need to build to some other players, we need to get some answers for specific positions, considering some of the situations we are in,” Rahul Dravid added.
It will be interesting to see which team comes up at the top at the final ODI to win the series as this series win would be a good morale boost for India going into the Asia Cup 2023 whereas West Indies looks for this opportunity to win the series and bring some confidence into the team after failing to qualify for the ODI World Cup later this series.