As India take on Pakistan on September 2 in the cricket Asia Cup ODI tournament, there is a strong possibility of Ishan Kishan opening the batting with skipper Rohit Sharma, sources say.
Both the Mumbai Indian MI batsmen who have been opening partners before as well can give India a comfortable start.
Many believe that Ishan can be a good potential opener including the likes of former Indian opener Krishnamachari Shrikant, who said this on his YouTube channel on Tuesday. Ishan coming in to open means that Shubhman Gill automatically will come in at number three followed by Virat Kohli.
Kohli may be followed by Shreyas Iyer or Surya Kumar Yadav as the team decides since KL Rahul is not playing the first two matches.
The team management has been closely following the progress of KL Rahul, who is a crucial member of the team and plays an important role both as a wicketkeeper and a batsman. Despite recovering from an injury a few weeks before the Asia Cup team selection, Rahul has been training hard for the past few months. Despite the progress in his fitness, a slight injury concern was noticed before the squad was announced and thus an announcement has been made by coach Rahul Dravid that KL Rahul will be rested for the first two matches.
However, KL Rahul will be the number one choice for the World Cup, which will take place in India in October. Dravid does not want to take any chances with the player, especially since he suffered a hamstring injury in March 2023.
KL to undergo fitness test on Sept 4 at National Cricket Academy
KL who is training at the National Cricket Academy will undergo a fitness test on September 4 to determine his availability for the rest of the tournament. If the results are positive, he may be able to play in the Super 4.