As a backup for Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra’s believes that keeper-batter Ishan Kishan might be the third opener in the Men in Blue’s 2023 World Cup team.
The opening pair for Team India in the ODI World Cup 2023, which will be held in India from October 5 to November 19, seems to be skipper Rohit and Gill.
Chopra was asked to choose his likely World Cup team in a Q&A session on his YouTube channel. He acknowledged that Kishan’s chances of making the team as a middle-order hitter are slim, but said that the left-hander may be given consideration for the position of backup opener. He answered:
“It’s extremely easy. With Shubman Gill as his opener, Rohit Sharma. You have Virat Kohli. I’m going with Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Ravindra Jadeja since Rishabh Pant isn’t there. Without a doubt, Hardik Pandya will be there. I’m not considering Ishan Kishan as a middle-order option right now. He may be the third keeper-batter option for the opener. He also had a double-century in ODIs, and you need a left-hander.”
Regarding bowling, he noted that while Yuzvendra Chahal is unquestionably for him, he would also give left-arm wrist-spinner Kuleep Yadav some consideration. Chopra remarked:
“Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, and then I’ll turn to look at Yuzi Chahal in the bowling. I’ll also keep Kuldeep Yadav in mind. Because we need to wait till Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul are well, I can’t finalise my selection just yet.”
Recent sources state that Rahul is unlikely to be fit for the Asia Cup, even if Bumrah and Shreyas may play in the T20I series against Ireland.
It appears that his name won’t be present – Aakash Chopra’s on the possibility of Dhawan competing in the 2023 World Cup
In response to a different question.
Chopra frankly indicated that he doesn’t see experienced opener Shikhar Dhawan getting selected for the World Cup. The 45-year-old claims that Gill’s ascent has essentially sealed the doom of the left-hander. As per Chopra:
“If Shikhar Dhawan is left off the World Cup one-day team, it would be a disgrace. However, Given that the World Cup is only a few months away, it appears that his name won’t be on the list. I’m not sure why he’s not being chosen; I don’t know. Dhawan hadn’t done too badly when Shubman Gill was rising, but then the latter abruptly became outdated.”
Dhawan, 37, was discharged from the Indian one-day squad following a dismal series against Bangladesh in December 2022. In the three-match series, he recorded totals of 7, 8, and 3.
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