‘His place should also be questioned’ – Piyush Chawla backs Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul ahead of Shreyas Iyer in India’s middle order

Veteran India spinner Piyush Chawla voiced his stance on the team’s middle order and backed the likes of Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul ahead of Shreyas Iyer in India’s World Cup squad. Notably, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) All India Senior Men’s Selection Committee, on September 5, announced a 15-member squad for the big-ticket event.

As soon as the squad was announced, fans and members of the cricketing fraternity began providing their take on the setup. Likewise, Piyush shared his thoughts on the setup, however, questioned Shreyas’ selection while backing Ishan and KL Rahul in the middle order.

"We are talking about both of them, why not Shreyas Iyer? Shreyas Iyer's place should also be questioned. Ishan (Kishan) cannot remain in the reserves now because of the way he has batted in the top order. People had a question about how he would bat in the middle order and the way he batted in the middle order after coming into bat in a tough situation, he is going through good form and he solves the problem of the absence of a left-hander in the middle order, which we often talk about,” Piyush said on Star Sports.

"So, he is straightaway a walk-in for me. If we talk about KL Rahul, his track record is so good and he has done so well over the years,” he continued.

Ishan Kishan is a specialist wicketkeeper: Piyush Chawla

Notably, Ishan has been in stellar form with the bat as he has compiled scores of 82, 77, 55, and 52, respectively, in his last four ODIs. Meanwhile, Shreyas played his first game after he was put under the knife for his back injury and failed to get the big runs for his side against Pakistan. Furthermore, the veteran leg spinner, Piyush Chawla, added that the think tank should back Ishan to feature in the XI while playing in Chennai and Lucknow in order to have a ‘specialist wicketkeeper’. 

"You have asked who should be the wicketkeeper. When India will play in Chennai and Lucknow, the No. 1 wicketkeeper will be a specialist wicketkeeper and Ishan Kishan is a specialist wicketkeeper,” highlighted Piyush.