Former RCB cricketer Mohammad Kaif opined on India’s batting line-up ahead of the upcoming series against England. Team India are all set to tour England next month for five T20Is and three ODIs. With Virat Kohli set to return and Ishan Kishan performing well in the ODIs against Afghanistan, there has been a debate about whether Ishan could get a chance at number three.
“You cannot shake Virat Kohli. He has drawn a very big line. I am talking about ODIs, at number three, it is not possible at this point for someone to cross that line and take his place. When a big tournament or a World Cup comes, the batting order will be the same. If Ishan plays also, he will not come at three, he will have to play lower. I think it will be Kohli at three, Shreyas or Ishan at four, Axar or Sundar at five, KL at six and Hardik at seven. I think this will be the team for the World Cup. No one can even become Kohli’s shadow at number three at this point, forget taking his place,” he said on his YouTube channel.
“What KL Rahul has done at six, his place is fixed and he will only keep wickets. Right now it is a phase of experiments with Ishan coming in and that is fine. Maybe KL would have asked for a bit of break too ight now after the IPL and telling Ishan to keep. KL is a proven player and is fit as well now. He will only play. This question has been raised before as well. Someone else coming in will have to wait. There is always a trend of running a team. His form has been great, he is scoring runs and bringing that finishing touch. He will always be ahead and Ishan will have to wait. These guys will get an opportunity once Rohit and Kohli are gone,” he further added.
However, Mohammad Kaif also believed that Ishan Kishan’s time would also come, when he will be a regular in the Indian ODI team as well. He not only applauded Kishan for his batting, but also considered him a captaincy choice as well.
“Ishan Kishan can be a captaincy material as well. He is batting well. He has a sharp brain. When Cummins was not there in the IPL, he captained brilliantly and won games for his team. He backed his bowlers very well. His time will come too,” he concluded.
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