‘Playing all three of them will be difficult’ – Saba Karim sheds light on the Indian Team’s batting order
India lost the three-match ODI series to New Zealand 1-0. The next assignment for the Men in Blue will be a Three match ODI series against Bangladesh. India will look to iron out its flaws and trump its eastern neighbours with a good result in the ODIs. A good tour will also give the team some confidence as they head into the 2023 ODI World Cup.
There is a staggering piece of information to be noted. The fact is that Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul have not been in an ODI squad together since March 2021. In total, there have been only 15 ODIs featuring Kohli, Rohit Dhawan and Rahul. This highlights the problem of the balance of the side getting affected if everyone is playing together.
In the upcoming series against Bangladesh, it is difficult to see if the four slot in together due to combination issues and since Shreyas Iyer has proved his worth in the ODI Team over the past year and because KL Rahul will not don the gloves in the 50 over format which means Rishabh Pant has to play as the wicketkeeper.
You need to have a bowling option at Number 6 – Saba Karim
Former Wicket Keeper batter Saba Karim had a slightly different view on the matter, here is what he said in a media interaction organised by Sony Sports Network. “I look at him more as an opening alternative to Dhawan and Rohit. He’s just a classy player. It’s just a matter of time when he can strike form. Having said that, I really don’t know at what number he will come in. If not as opener, do we use him in the middle order? If we do, can we give him a long rope there because there are so many other contenders there. This is something that needs to be settled as soon as possible by the captain and the team management,”
Karim also highlighted the importance of a sixth bowling option which has been India’s handicap for a long time and also it was still an area of concern in the series against New Zealand. “Playing all three (Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant) seems difficult. When you have Virat Kohli coming back in the mix. He will bat at No.3. Then suppose you put Shreyas Iyer at No.4 then you are left with only two spots. India are now looking to have that sixth bowling option from their top six. If that is the case then that leaves very little space for one more middle-order batter to come in. I’ll look at Iyer because he has done very well in the New Zealand series as well. He should occupy the No.4 spot, then you are left with Rishabh Pant at No.5 and then you need to have one more bowling option at No.6,” He added.
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