IND vs NZ Live, T20 World Cup: Mike Atherton advices to stick with Rohit & Rahul – After India’s humiliating 10-wicket loss to Pakistan, a lot of questions have been raised whether Virat Kohli & Co should include Ishan Kishan in the Playing XI. The only position he could have fit in was as an opener but former England captain Mike Atherton has advised Kohli against it, saying KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma are still India’s best bet as openers.
“But if you think of how Rohit plays he sometimes takes a few balls to get going. I think they are doing the good thing by going with KL and Rohit at the top of the order. I think that is the right thing. And you can’t write off India after one bad game,” Mike Atherton told Sky Sports.
IND vs NZ Live, T20 World Cup: Mike Atherton’s advice to Virat Kohli, ‘Don’t be tempted with Ishan Kishan, Rohit & KL right choice for opening’
“In India’s warm-up game against England, they rested Rohit. He obviously is a given. And they had Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul at the top of the order. It was interesting to me. I don’t know whether it was a shoot off or not. Ishan outscored KL Rahul but what was interesting was that KL was faster out of the blocks in the Powerplay in that game. Ishan Kishan eventually got going and caught up,” Mike Atherton said.
However, India’s struggle against left-arm seamers could be one reason why Virat Kohli & Co could be tempted to pick Ishan Kishan. The likely batsman to go out will be Suryakumar Yadav who didn’t have a great run. Furthermore, Kishan dominated England in the warm-up match with a blitzkrieg 70 off 46. It was after two back to back half-centuries in the IPL 2021.
IND vs NZ Live, T20 World Cup: Mike Atherton’s advice to Virat Kohli, ‘Don’t be tempted with Ishan Kishan, Rohit & KL right choice for opening’
Why should India pick Ishan Kishan?
- Ishan Kishan is in red-hot form and could be a replacement for Suryakumar Yadav
- Ishan Kishan can play the role of a finisher in place of Hardik Pandya.
- To counter Trent Boult’s left-arm seam threat, left-hander Ishan Kishan could be important in top order.
Atherton, however, said it was too early to write off India even though they lost by 10 wickets in the first match. India will face New Zealand, against whom India have a poor record in ICC events.
IND vs NZ Live, T20 World Cup: Mike Atherton’s advice to Virat Kohli, ‘Don’t be tempted with Ishan Kishan, Rohit & KL right choice for opening’
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