In KL Rahul’s absence, Ishan Kishan will keep the wickets against Pakistan and Nepal. (Credits: AFP)
KL Rahul is set to miss the Asia Cup 2023 games against Pakistan and Nepal, and thus Ishan Kishan is likely to keep the wickets, but where will the Jharkhand batter fit?
India head coach Rahul Dravid confirmed that KL Rahul will not be available for the team’s first two Asia Cup fixtures against Pakistan and Nepal respectively. The wicketkeeper-batter will not be travelling with the rest of the squad and a call on his participation will be taken on September 4.
“He has had a really good week with us, really trained well, he is progressing well on the route we want to take but he will be unavailable for the Kandy leg of the trip. The NCA will be looking after him for the next few days while we are travelling. We will reassess on the 4th and then take it from there. But the signs are looking good and he is progressing really well,” Dravid said in a media interaction after Team India’s skill-based camp ended in Alur.
The 31-year-old participated in the camp, did both keeping and batting but the management wants to follow a cautious approach. They are not willing to take any risk with regards to Rahul who lends a lot of balance to the side and strength to the middle-order.
“The way we are looking at it is actually just two less games that he is going to miss. Both him (Rahul) and Shreyas are in the same boat. He is really batting well, keeping well, he is doing everything, it’s just a slightly more cautious approach leading into the World Cup,” Dravid further explained.
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KL Rahul will undergo some match simulations when the team flies to Sri Lanka and Dravid is hoping to have him back in the squad for remainder of Asia Cup and then the Australia series which precedes the ODIs.
“He will have a couple of match simulations over the next few days which will give him longer time out there in the middle. We are hoping that it’s just two games that he misses and should be available for the latter part of the tour, there is an Australia series as well. I’m not too worried about it,” said Dravid.
The Ishan Kishan question
With Rahul unavailable, India need to fill in the wicketkeeper-batter slot and also have someone in the middle-order, more specifically the No.5 position. Ishan Kishan was the other wicketkeeper-batter in the Asia Cup squad and the left-hander is likely to get a hit in the middle-order. Yes, there is Sanju Samson too as a travelling reserve but Kishan is more likely to get the nod ahead of the right-hander.
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The big question, however, is going to be where the management fits Kishan. The aggressive southpaw has batted at top of the order for Team India and enjoyed most of the success in the position. In case a spot is created for him at top of the order, the rest of the batting order goes for a toss and the stability, which this team desperately needs ahead of the multi-nation event, will remain a far cry.
A floating role?
Rohit Sharma and Co. can well look to use Kishan as a floater and not tinker too much with the batting order. With Rohit and Shubman Gill most likely to open and Virat Kohli at No.3, Shreyas Iyer must bat at No.4 followed by the likes of Kishan, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja. The first four should get a consistent run in the same position while the rest of the batting can be rotated as per match-ups and situation. Something which Rohit had emphasised on during his presser after Asia Cup squad announcement.
“One thing I want in this team is to make sure everyone is okay to bat anywhere. That’s one thing we need to keep in mind. You need flexibility, guys who can step up at any position. No one should say, ‘I’m good at this position or I’m good at that position’. You want guys to be able to bat anywhere, that’s the message conveyed to every individual. Not now, but over the last three-four years,” Rohit had said in New Delhi.
The skipper further explained that by flexibility he didn’t mean openers batting at No.8 and vice-versa. He wants the squad to be ready to counter different match-ups and situations. The Asia Cup is an opportunity to put the flexibility to test and make judicious use of the batting muscle of Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan and Ravindra Jadeja. More importantly, use them at the right place at the right time.
