Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul
When Team India’s squad for the 2023 Asian Cup was announced, it seemed like Team India’s injury woes might be over. KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Jaspreet Bumrah were back on this team. But in the press conference, Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar had given such information which once again aroused the concern of Indian fans. He had said that Rahul had recovered from his old injury, but a minor injury of his had come to the fore again. He hinted that he might miss the first two to three games.
One day before the tournament started, Team India head coach Rahul Dravid confirmed this. Rahul will not feature in the group stage games against Pakistan and Nepal. This news has once again raised five big questions for Team India. However, the team has Ishan Kishan acting as backup wicketkeeper. In addition, Sanju Samson is also on the reserve list. But it’s hard to say who will get the chance. Let us know what these five big questions are:-
1- Who will play Ishan Kishan or Sanju Samson?
If Rahul doesn’t play, the biggest question is whether Sanju Samson or Ishan Kishan will get a chance as wicketkeeper. Ishan is part of the 17-man main squad and Samson has been retained as a reserve. But the question is: will Ishan play in midfield? Although he doesn’t have much experience in this slot.
2- Who will do the opening?
With Rahul injured it is certain that Ishan Kishan is the first choice and he will almost certainly play. But when he does serve, the question is where will Shubman hit Gill. Many other questions arise in this context. When Gill and Rohit open, Ishan must either switch to middle order or play in top order.
3- Will Virat sacrifice number 3?
With Ishan playing in the top flight, there’s also the question of where Rohit and Virat will play again. If Ishan and Gill take the lead, Rohit can play at number three and Virat at number four. Similar questions are raised regarding game position.
4- Can Ishan Kishan play in the middle class?
Ishan Kishan’s play order is up. But KL Rahul has long played the role of the perfect wicket-keeper-batsman for the team in ODI cricket. If Ishan has to take his place in such a situation, he must be placed in the middle order. A change in Virat’s position can also pose a major risk for the team management. A video of Ishaan practicing with Hardik also went viral on Wednesday. That means he can be seen in the middle class or as a finisher.
5- Will Shubman Gill fail?
Ishan’s play raises another question that probably doesn’t stand a chance. When Shubman Gill, who has been out of shape for the past few games, is dropped and Ishan plays. At the same time, instead of Rahul, Tilak Verma or Suryakumar Yadav get a place in the middle class. Such a combination might be possible. But it looks very difficult.
Now that these five questions have surfaced, it remains to be seen how captain Rohit Sharma will handle them. The combination of Team India is constantly discussed. In the press conference on the occasion of the team announcement, Rohit also pointed out that whoever plays at the top plays, while new players have to prepare for other positions. He also set his own example from the early days of his career. It remains to be seen how he currently finds answers to these questions.