Ishaan Kishan strengthens claim for opener, Tilak Verma becomes first choice in middle order!
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Before the Asia Cup and then the World Cup, the Indian team was looking for a middle order option for ODIs. The search for the fourth position batsman in the batting order is still not complete. This was their last chance to try players before the two big tournaments. For this reason, captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli did not bat in the ODI series.
Due to the poor performance of the Indian team, the winner of both the limited overs series was decided from the last match. The team also had to face criticism for this reason, but this gave players like Ishaan Kishan, Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav full opportunity to prove themselves.
Before the start of the series, Samson and Kishan were seen as wicket-keeper contenders, but by the end of it, Kishan cemented his claim for the team’s reserve opener. In the Asia Cup, Rohit and Shubman Gill will open the innings but Kishan can be the third opener of the team.
Rohit’s absence gave Kishan the opportunity to open the innings in all the three ODIs and he made full use of the opportunity with scores of 52, 55 and 77. Samson, who was constantly in and out of the team, got two innings (in ODIs) to perform well under pressure and proved his mettle with an impressive 41-ball 51 in the series-deciding third ODI.
In the absence of Lokesh Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar did not live up to the expectations in the middle order. However, there is no dearth in the potential of this batsman and such team management can continue to try him in the Asia Cup. Even if Rahul and Iyer regain fitness, their finding of rhythm for the Asia Cup starting on August 31 will be questionable.
Rohit said on his return to the country last week, ‘Look, the number four position in the batting order has been an issue for a long time. After the retirement of Yuvraj Singh, no other player could confirm his place on this number. But for some time Shreyas Iyer was batting at number four and he also performed well. His figures are really great.
Rohit said, ‘Unfortunately he was in trouble due to injury. Due to injury, he has been out for some time and to be honest, this has been happening for the last four-five years. Many of these players got injured and in such a situation the new player had to come down to bat at that place.
20-year-old Tilak Verma, who performed brilliantly in the Indian Premier League and domestic cricket, was only given a place in the T20 team on this tour. The swashbuckling batsman impressed with his composure and maturity on his international debut. He showed his fearlessness by hitting sixes continuously against international fast bowler like Alzarri Joseph.
Tilak played a key role in the Indian team’s comeback in the series. However, the team had to face defeat in the decider on Sunday. In the spin bowling department, Kuldeep Yadav once again proved his importance for the team. The left-arm wrist spinner took seven wickets in the ODI series which included scalping wickets for the team in the middle overs. He proved to be better than Yuzvendra Chahal during this period.
In the fast bowling department, the team got a good option in the form of Mukesh Kumar. Mukesh impressed with his bowling in slow pitches. Umran Malik did not get many chances on the tour and he could not prove himself in whatever he got. Umran has to understand that success in international cricket requires not just pace but the right line-length.
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