Former India cricketer VVS Laxman believes that India should provide Ishan Kishan an opportunity in their final Super12 match versus Namibia. Kishan was in good form throughout India’s preparation games prior to the T20 World Cup, in which they thrashed England and Australia.
Unfortunately, they had a disappointing performance in the main event and are already out, with their final match versus Namibia becoming a meaningless game. The match would also be the last for Virat Kohli as India’s T20I captain, as he has confirmed his intention to step down following the ending of the current tournament, as Ravi Shastri’s tenure as head coach finally ends.
Kishan did not play in India’s first match versus Pakistan, which they dropped by ten wickets, before coming in as a substitute for the injured Suryakumar Yadav versus New Zealand. Interestingly, Kishan batted with KL Rahul in the match, while India pushed Rohit Sharma to No. 3.
Virat Kohli relinquishes his captaincy after that the choice will be Rohit Sharma: VVS Laxman
VVS Laxman said in an interaction regarding Kishan as a possible opener for India: “Ishan Kishan is someone who uses the powerplay field restrictions, plays his brand of cricket. Having said that, as Virat Kohli relinquishes his captaincy after that the choice will be Rohit Sharma, he is most destructive and consistent to win matches for India in that position where he goes in as an opener and then KL Rahul we know what a talent he is and what a match-winner he is”.
“So, how can you disturb these two established openers just to accommodate Ishan Kishan. So that’s probably the question, which will be on the minds of team management and the selection committee. But, probably keeping in mind that there is no consequence to the match which is going to happen against Namibia. Probably in this match they can try Ishan Kishan.”
However, India’s poor start to the T20 World Cup, with losses to Pakistan and New Zealand, has severely harmed their hopes of qualifying. While things are at the moment, India has been eliminated from the competition, marking the first time since 2012 that the squad has failed to advance beyond the group phase of an ICC competition. With the forthcoming T20 World Cup set to take place in October 2022, Laxman discussed India’s bowling assault and the improvements that are required.
“I think it is very important to identify a couple of bowlers who bowl quick because the conditions in Australia will be totally different, where I’m not sure the ball will swing too much. But having someone who can bowl quick, extract the bounce and pace of that wicket and at the same time can use the variations because you want someone who can also finish off the innings well with the ball”.
“The other important aspect is to identify batsmen who can bowl because we’ve seen that if you have the sixth or seventh bowling option, the captain will definitely not be under pressure. We know Hardik Pandya has been struggling with his fitness. So, get a couple of batsmen who can also take two overs, that will be very critical for the World Cup in Australia.”
