IND vs WI: Ishan Kishan added to ODI squad amid COVID-19 crisis in the camp

Four days before the ODI series against West Indies, the Indian camp got hit by COVID-19 crisis with four players returning with positive results. This list includes Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer and net bowler Navdeep Saini. While Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially added Mayank Agarwal in the ODI squad, Ishan Kishan has also been reportedly included.

The southpaw was due to feature in the subsequent T20I series. However, with multiple first-choice players being unavailable, Kishan would also get a chance to take the field. It must be noted that the southpaw made his ODI debut last year and stunned one and all, hitting his first ball for a massive six. He also went onto make a quickfire half-century on ODI debut.

Ishan Kishan should open alongside Rohit Sharma in ODI series: Saba Karim

However, with the first-choice players returning to the scheme of things, Kishan couldn’t find a place in the original squad. Meanwhile, former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Saba Karim reacted to the development, saying the team management has no choice but to send Kishan as the opener alongside skipper Rohit Sharma.

“You don’t have options left as well as your squad has been severely depleted because of the players who have gotten infected. Because of that, I feel we will see a new approach. This will be the right combination as well because if Ishan Kishan opens with Rohit Sharma, the sort of character Ishan has, his strike rate is always high, which means he can take advantage of the powerplay,” said Karim during a discussion on India News.

Lauding Kishan’s attacking approach, Karim also said the southpaw’s aggressive batting at the top would allow Rohit to take his time and get his feet settled.

“It will provide more time for Rohit Sharma to get settled because he is a player who can play for a long time due to which India will also benefit. I feel this right and left-handed combination where both have different styles of playing, Kishan takes more risks on one side because of which the strike rate is very high,” said the former BCCI selector further.