Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has proposed Ishan Kishan as a worthy replacement for the injured KL Rahul in ODIs. Manjrekar suggests that Kishan can fulfill the wicketkeeping duties until Rahul recovers and also contribute with his batting skills in the middle-order.
Since Rishabh Pant’s injury in December, KL Rahul has been India’s preferred wicketkeeper in ODIs. However, Rahul suffered a thigh injury during IPL 2023 and underwent surgery, requiring some time to regain full fitness.
Manjrekar believes that Ishan Kishan, despite being an opening batsman, possesses the skills to adapt to a lower-order role and provide a left-handed option. The former cricketer highlights that Kishan has had limited opportunities since his remarkable double century last year.
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“Just to get a left-hander in, it might be worthwhile going in with Ishan Kishan. I know he is an opening batter, but he is good enough to bat down the order as well. After he got that double hundred, he hasn’t had too many opportunities,” said Sanjay Manjrekar in an interview with ESPNCricinfo.
Manjrekar suggests that Kishan could temporarily take precedence over KL Rahul until the latter fully recovers, considering India’s preferred batting hierarchy with Shreyas Iyer at number 4 and KL Rahul as the preferred choice at number 5 or 6.
Although Ishan Kishan’s performance in 2023 has been inconsistent, with only 33 runs in 4 ODIs at an average of 11.0 and 64 runs in 6 T20Is, he showcased better form in IPL 2023 for the Mumbai Indians. Kishan accumulated 454 runs in 15 matches with a strike rate of over 142 and recorded three half-centuries.