Ishan Kishan Should Open With Rohit Sharma With Shikhar Dhawan Likely to Miss 1st ODI – Saba Karim Suggests Batting Order

Ind vs WI: Karim wants Kishan to open because he can take full advantage of the field restrictions in the powerplay. 

Ahmedabad: With Shikhar Dhawan set to miss the first ODI, ex-India wicketkeeper Saba Karim wants Ishan Kishan to open with Rohit Sharma against West Indies. That happens or not remains to be seen. Karim wants Kishan to open because he can take full advantage of the field restrictions in the powerplay.

“This will be the right combination as well because if Ishan Kishan opens with Rohit Sharma, the sort of character Ishan has, his strike rate is always high, which means he can take advantage of the powerplay,” Karim explained while speaking on India News.

Karim also noted that India does not have too many options with the series coming up. “You don’t have options left as well as your squad has been severely depleted because of the players who have gotten infected. Because of that, I feel we will see a new approach,” Karim said.

Earlier, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday added batter Mayank Agarwal to India’s ODI squad after seven members, including four players — Shreyas Iyer, Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Navdeep Saini (standby) — tested positive for Covid-19 after arriving in Ahmedabad.

The members of the India squad were asked to report in Ahmedabad on January 31 for the series against the West Indies. They were also asked to undergo an RT-PCR test at home before travelling to Ahmedabad.

“The All-India Senior Selection Committee has added Mayank Agarwal to India’s ODI squad after seven members, including three players of Team India (Senior Men) tested positive for Covid-19 following three rounds of RT-PCR testing,” the BCCI said.