Former India cricketer turned commentator Aakash Chopra anticipates Ishan Kishan to hold the No. 5 spot for India in the 2023 Asia Cup match against Pakistan.
The much-awaited match will take place in Pallekele on September 2. Kishan is expected to play as KL Rahul is still recovering from an injury.
In his YouTube video, Chopra shared his conjecture involving captain Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli as the top three batters of the Indian lineup. According to him, “If we see logically, I feel Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill will only open. You will see Virat Kohli only at No. 3. I personally don’t see them moving up or down the order. I feel things will be as expected.”
Chopra also suggested that the No.4 position will be filled by Shreyas Iyer and No.5 by Ishan Kishan. He further discussed alternative strategies, suggesting Kishan could open in place of Rohit or Gill. Also, if the team wanted to maintain the existing order, Suryakumar Yadav or Tilak Varma could replace Gill, with the No.8 position being a possible point of contention.
Hardik Pandya at No. 6, Ravindra Jadeja at No. 7, and the choice between Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur at No. 8 were other points made by Chopra. He commented, “Our team doesn’t look like playing four bowlers because we like a batter at No. 8.”
In the final segment of his video, Chopra considered Shardul Thakur over Axar Patel as the second bowling all-rounder. He remarked, “So one of Lord Thakur and Axar. The opposing team has three left-handers – two openers and Mohammad Nawaz down the order. I think Lord Thakur might actually get the nod. Kuldeep Yadav and then Bumrah and Shami, that’s my XI, don’t know what the Indian team will play.”
His conjectures give an exciting insight into the potential batting order for India’s much-anticipated match against Pakistan. Cricket fans eagerly await the actual lineup to see how well their expectations and those of expert commentators align with the Indian cricket team’s final decisions.
