Asia Cup 2023

‘Rohit and Kohli should not be looking to bat down….’- Sunil Gavaskar’s verdict on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s batting positions

Amid all the speculations regarding the India batting lineup, their playing XI is still on a continuous topsy-turvy road. The team management had clarified that they mean to have flexibility in their batting lineup as there can be situations when the batting positions of the batter might be shuffled depending on the situation.

Ishan Kishan has been included in the side as a backup opener but the unavailability of KL Rahul makes it pretty tricky for the skipper Rohit Sharma and the team management. In One-Day International (ODI) cricket, Ishan Kishan has been in fantastic form. In December 2022, he defeated Bangladesh with his first ODI double-century, and in the recently finished series against the West Indies, the wicketkeeper-batter amassed three straight half-centuries to win the Player of the Series award. Ishan’s steady play must have caused the Indian team management selection problems since they are having trouble fitting the young player into the starting XI.

In a recent interview, Ravi Shastri suggested that India might bat first in the forthcoming Asia Cup and the ODI World Cup with Ishan and Rohit Sharma, followed by Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli. Sunil Gavaskar, a famous batsman, disagreed with this viewpoint, feeling that it might not be a good idea to change Rohit and Shubman’s opening partnership. The 74-year-old instead proposed that Virat might be dropped to No. 4 if one of the openers is dismissed early in order to shield India’s talismanic batter from any harm that the new ball may be able to inflict.

Any team has to be flexible: Sunil Gavaskar

“Any team has to be flexible, but I don’t want to disturb the top order. I don’t think Rohit Sharma should be looking to bat down the order. Yes, you can look at having Kohli at No. 4, particularly, if a wicket falls early because the new ball can do some early damage,” Gavaskar said on India Today.

India would have the chance to decide on their final batting order for the World Cup, which starts on October 5, during the Asia Cup and the ensuing three-match ODI series against Australia. Ishan will find it difficult to sit out of the starting lineup, but it is preferable to have a player who is in good form on the bench than one who lacks self-assurance.

Trying out all the permutations as well as combinations will be helpful for coming to a conclusion as far ODI World Cup is going to be played on Indian soil and it is expected that the Indian team will turn out with their A-game and repeat the heroics of 2011 ODI World Cup.