India vs Pakistan marks the official start of the Indian cricket team’s preparations for the World Cup 2023. However, Rohit Sharma and Co do not have an important member like KL Rahul. As he is still unfit, Ishan Kishan will come into India’s playing XI against Pakistan as a wicketkeeper-batsman. The only good news is the return of Shreyas Iyer and Jasprit Bumrah. But there will be no place for Suryakumar Yadav or Tilak Verma against Babar Azam and Co. in the IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2023 clash on Saturday.
KL Rahul’s absence creates two problems: 1. Ishan Kishan must play, 2. Kishan can only play in the top 3. This creates a dilemma as to who will be the two openers. Shubman Gill and Ishaan Kishan acted well together. But will India drop Rohit Sharma to number three or four? This is the big question for Indian head coach Rahul Dravid.
In India’s Asia Cup camp, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill both batted at No.3 and No.4. So, keeping this in mind, Ishan Kishan seems to be the primary choice as an opener. And it’s not unreasonable. Against Shaheen Afridi’s blazing left-arm pacer, India needs a left-arm to counter. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill can be a problematic pairing.
As things stand, having Rohit Sharma at No.3 or No.4 in India’s playing XI could be a temporary solution.
When KL Rahul takes the field, Shreyas Iyer will be India’s number 4 But in his absence, Iyer continues to bat at number 5 Virat Kohli is likely to be at number 4 for the first two matches
However, Team India can also gamble with Rohit Sharma, sending him in as an enforcer in the middle overs. Rohit can bat very well at number 5 with Shreyas Iyer at number 4. Hence, Suryakumar Yadav will be left out of the India playing XI.
Ishan Kishan also gets a chance to bat at number 5. Shubman Gill and Rohit will open at number 3 with Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer at number 4 respectively.
In an ideal situation, Sanju Samson would have solved the problem. However, with Team India favoring Ishan Kishan instead of KL Rahul, Sanju will not be in the 15-man squad. He will be in reserve.
Predicted India XI vs PAK:
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (WK), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Siraj, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah
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