Saba Karim has picked opener Covid-19 positive Shikhar Dhawan’s ideal replacement for the 1st ODI between India and the West Indies. With Indian opener, Shikhar Dhawan testing positive for COVID-19 ahead of the West Indies series opener, former Indian cricketer Saba Karim has picked an ideal opening partner for captain Rohit Sharma for the series opener scheduled to be played in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Rahul Dravid-coached Team India suffered a massive blow when opener Shikhar Dhawan, premier middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer and reserve opener Ruturaj Gaikwad contracted Covid-19 before the start of the ODI series on Wednesday.
Besides the troika of batsmen, net bowler Navdeep Saini, fielding coach T Dilip, security liaison officer B Lokesh and masseur Rajeev Kumar have also tested positive for the deadly virus.
Saba Karim Picked Southpaw Ishan Kishan As Rohit Sharma’s Partner For 1st ODI Against West Indies
Former cricketer Saba Karim opined that the hosts don’t have many options to replace the star batsmen who have returned positive RT-PCR tests in the lead-up to the series. Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer and Ruturaj Gaikwad tested positive for the virus during the mandatory isolation period prior to the start of the white-ball series between the West Indies and hosts India.
“You don’t have options left as well as your squad has been severely depleted because of the players who have gotten infected. Because of that, I feel we will see a new approach,” Saba Karim said.
There have been calls from a few cricket experts for Team India to adopt a more aggressive approach with the bat in ODI cricket.
Ishan Kishan’s presence at the top of the order might help the cause. Mayank Agarwal has been called up to the side and it was also reported that Ishan Kishan was notified as well. Ishan Kishan can replace Shikhar Dhawan at the top and open with Rohit Sharma, a familiar sight for Mumbai Indians fans.
Saba Karim Picked Ishan Kishan As Rohit Sharma’s Partner
Saba Karim then picked Indian southpaw Ishan Kishan as Rohit Sharma’s partner for the 1st ODI against the West Indies. 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.
“This will be the right combination as well because if Ishan Kishan opens with Rohit Sharma, the sort of character Ishan has, his strike rate is always high, which means he can take advantage of the powerplay,” Saba Karim explained.
Saba Karim’s remarks have come at a time when Ishan Kishan is expected to join the ODI team of the Rohit Sharma-led side for the West Indies series.
The former Mumbai Indians (MI) star has been already added to the white-ball squad of the Team India side. The specialist opener has played 2 ODIs for India. Ishan Kishan made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka at the R.Premadasa Stadium in July 2021.
The 54-year-old concluded by saying that it will be beneficial for Team India in the long run if Ishan Kishan succeeds at the top of the order. The Jharkhand powerhouse made his international debut last year where he became the first Indian to score a fifty on his T20I and ODI debut as well.
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.