On Day 4 of India’s Asia Cup camp in Alur, there was a surprise. India captain Rohit Sharma carried out a match simulation, batting in a pair with Shreyas Iyer. Even though Rohit is the designated opener, with KL Rahul still unfit, Ishan Kishan is expected to come into the Playing XI. And keeping that in mind, Rahul Dravid & Co have already mulled the option of sending Rohit at No 3 and Virat Kohli at No 4 with Ishan opening with Shubman Gill in the India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2023 clash on September 2 in Kandy.
India have been in search for a No 4 since Yuvraj Singh. But the hunt has been hit and miss so far. While KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer have been designated pairs for the role, injuries have prevented them from staking a claim. Rahul also had to be promoted to the opening spot. Shreyas Iyer is still ahead in the competition having scored 805 runs at No 4 since 2019 World Cup.
But KL Rahul is still doubtful for India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 clash. And that forces India to have Ishan Kishan in the Playing XI. Where does he play is the biggest question. Ishan has scored well opening the innings. And if he does play, it is likely that he will open the innings.
India vs Pakistan: Asia Cup Camp Day 4 Highlights
Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma are three openers at India’s disposal. And Rahul Dravid has to pick two. While in all likelihood, Rohit Sharma will retain his spot, Dravid is testing different combinations. Having Rohit Sharma at No 4 with Virat Kohli retaining his spot could solve one problem until KL Rahul comes back.
Interestingly, Shubman Gill too batted with Shreyas Iyer. It is a hint that KL Rahul is likely to miss India vs Pakistan clash, making way for Ishan Kishan. And as things stand, Rahul Dravid & Co will give Ishan the opener’s role against Babar Azam & Co.
“Ajit Agarkar spoke a lot about flexibility in batting order. You have to read between the lines. I think he spoke about two players — Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Rohit played in middle-order before while Virat has been fixed at No 3. But when he spoke about flexibility, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma down the order is a possibility,” former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar said on Star Sports show.
- Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer faced left-arm seamer Yash Dayal in preparation to face Shaheen Afridi.
- After Jasprit Bumrah and Yash Dayal’s spell, Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer both faced spinners in the match simulation.
- Sai Kisore, Rahul Chahar and Ravindra Jadeja were the two spinners in the session.
- Both Shreyas Iyer and Rohit Sharma focused on rotating strikes instead of going hammer and tongs against
- With slow pitches likely in Sri Lanka, all three players practised a lot of sweep shots against spinners.
- Ishan Kishan was the main wicketkeeper in Day 4’s session with KL Rahul focusing on batting rest.
India Asia Cup 2023 Squad
Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (VC), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
