Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting backs KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan as his choice of wicket-keepers for the ODI World Cup 2023 in the absence of Rishabh Pant. The former Australian skipper believes having a left-hander in the middle is important for the Men in Blue.
Ricky Ponting, currently part of the Delhi Capitals, believes that KL Rahul will be the primary gloveman for India in the iconic event as he has done exceptionally well for the team in the Number 5 position. Speaking about KL Rahul
“Look, I do think they’ll stick with him. I think in their World Cup squad, KL will be there,” Ricky Ponting said.
The 2007-world cup winning skipper believes having Ishan Kishan in the team is important, as he can provide a Left-hander option in that middle order. Though Ishan Kishan’s best knocks come at the top of the order, Ricky Ponting feels it is important to have him in the middle order.
“I think Ishan Kishan should be there as well to give another left-handed batting option because if you look back to game three, they promoted Axar and Jadeja ahead of Surya because of Ashton Agar and the balls spinning away from the right-handers,” he added.
Ishan Kishan has scored only 33 runs in his last 4 ODI innings and had a poor start against Royal Challengers Bangalore as he was dismissed for just 10 runs of Mohammad Siraj’s bowling. The 48-year-old ruined the absence of Rishabh Pant in the team but wants Ishan Kishan to replicate his role for the Indian team in the World Cup.
You Need To Have Left-Handers Through Your Middle Order – Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting believes it is very important to have a left-hander in the middle order as most of the teams have quality left-arm spinners and leg-spinners in their team and said that it would difficult to play without a left-hander in the middle.
“You need to have left-handers through your middle order. Most sides will have left-arm off-spin and right-arm leg spin and if you’ve only got right-handers through the middle order, it’s a lot harder for those guys to play it,” Ricky Ponting added.
A lot will depend on this edition of the Indian Premier League as Sanju Samson will look to put his best foot forward in making a comeback into the Indian side he has exceptionally for the Indian team in the ODI format, as he averages 66 from 10 innings.