Ishan Kishan scored his 4th consecutive ODI fifty against Pakistan in Asia Cup 2023.
While Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shubman Gill failed against Shaheen Afridi and co. Ishan Kishan with 82 and Hardik Pandya with 87 runs and their 138-run fifth-wicket partnership saved face for India as they posted 266 runs after choosing to bat first.
However, rain ensured that Pakistan didn’t get to bat and the match was called off.
Ishan Kishan was the talking point after the match as this half-century was his 7th overall and 4th in a row in ODIs. He was picked in the XI due to KL Rahul being ruled out of the first two matches in the tournament due to injury.
After the match, Mohammad Kaif was asked on the post-match show on Star Sports, what should India now do when Rahul becomes fit. The veteran India batter said that irrespective of Ishan scoring that knock of 82, his four consecutive fifties and seventh overall, Rahul will walk into the XI when he is fit.
"Kl Rahul is a proven match-winner. At No. 5, his numbers are fabulous. So Rahul Dravid knows, there is that clarity in his mind that...remember, Mohammed Shami was dropped today. So, when KL Rahul is fit again, he will be playing in the XI, and Ishan Kishan will have to wait for his next opportunity. Ishan is doing all that he needs.
He scored in that series against West Indies...his graph is only going up and is getting better by the day. He has a double century to his name as well. He has class and talent but he cannot replace Rahul yet because the latter is not playing because of bad form, but due to an injury," Kaif told Star Sports.
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However, his fellow panelist and teammate Gautam Gambhir turned towards Kaif and posed just one question: "To win the World Cup, name is more important or form?".
Kaif was found lost for words, while Gambhir continued by saying that had one between Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma been in place of Ishan now, would he have made that same remark about Rahul?
"Had Kohli or Rohit made those four consecutive fifties, would you have said the same thing about KL Rahul? When you are preparing to win a World Cup, you don't look at a name, you look at the form of a player that could win you the trophy," Gambhir said.
Kaif looked to interrupt saying: "India will then have to wait", but Gambhir continued making his point.
"Ishan has done everything possible to become the frontrunner. We are only making this argument because he hasn't played as many international matches as Rahul. There have been many players who have lost their spot in the team due to injuries because their replacement player performed impressively. Few had to wait for their chances while others did not even get another chance. This is the reality. Yes, Rahul is a proven player at No. 5 but for Ishan, who has never batted at that position comes in and scores 82 against a bowling attack like Pakistan under that pressure, then you cannot compare the two at all," he said.
Ishan will next be in action against Nepal on Monday at the same venue and would look forward to playing another good innings and solidifying his position in the Indian XI.
(Star Sports inputs)