“Ishan Kishan would open with me”: Rohit Sharma explains why Ishan Kishan will play ahead of Mayank Agarwal in 1st ODI vs West Indies

Rohit Sharma explains India’s opening combination for 1st ODI: The Indian captain will be opening the batting with his former Mumbai Indians teammate.

India white-ball captain Rohit Sharma considers spin-pair of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav as “great performers”. Having played 34 ODIs together for India between 2017-2019, the pair didn’t play together for the next two years before reuniting for a couple of ODIs in Sri Lanka last year.

With both Chahal and Yadav being retained in an 18-member squad a three-match ODI series against West Indies, there are high expectations of them playing together yet again.

“Kuldeep [Yadav] and [Yuzvendra] Chahal have been great performers for us in the past and they have created an impact in those years whenever they have played together, in the middle they were left out because of the combination we wanted to get. It is certainly on my mind to get them back together, Kuldeep especially,” Sharma told reporters in a virtual press conference on the eve of the first India vs West Indies ODI in Ahmedabad.

Reunited! Stronger Together 💪🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/J0eeeSbACL

— Yuzvendra Chahal (@yuzi_chahal) February 5, 2022

Yadav, who missed Indian Premier League 2021 Phase 2 and ICC T20 World Cup 2022 due to a knee injury, hasn’t played a competitive match since the Sri Lanka tour. It is due to the same reason that Sharma talked against hurrying him into playing an international match.

“We want to give Kuldeep time to settle in. He hasn’t played since a long time. It’s important to handle it carefully. He needs to play a lot of games to get his rhythm back,” Sharma added.

Assuming Yadav missed the first ODI tomorrow, Chahal and all-rounder Washington Sundar will be the front-runners to take the field among spinners at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

Rohit Sharma explains why Ishan Kishan will play ahead of Mayank Agarwal in 1st ODI

With batters Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer and Ruturaj Gaikwad among seven members of the Indian squad who had tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week, Sharma will also have to ponder about their batting lineup for the first ODI.

At first, batter Mayank Agarwal earning a comeback had hinted at him being the only specialist opener to partner Sharma at the top of the order. However, it was learnt later that wicket-keeper Ishan Kishan (part of ODI squad during South Africa tour) was also travelling with the squad as a reserve.

Sharma, who has never opened the batting in an ODI with either of Kishan or Agarwal, explained why the former will play his third ODI as compared to the latter playing his sixth ODI on Sunday.

“With COVID it is uncertain with what is going to happen. At the moment, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, and Shikhar Dhawan are in isolation. They are doing well.

“In the first ODI, Ishan Kishan would open with me. He is the only option as Mayank [Agarwal] was added to the squad, he is in isolation as he came a bit late into the squad. He has not finished his quarantine so Ishan will open the innings unless there is an injury,” Sharma confirmed.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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