Former Indian spinner and commentator Ravi Ashwin reckoned that there was no place for Ishan Kishan in the current Indian ODI Playing XI. Notably, Kishan has been selected for the New Zealand ODI series as a back-up keeper and opener, replacing Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin asserted that India already has a settled batting unit and all-rounders, adding that the team management wouldn’t think of disturbing the winning combination at this moment.
“Where will he play? Unless you need a left-hander. Even then. The top three are settled. Shreyas plays at four. Shreyas or Gaikwad. There is KL. Then you will need an all-rounder. So there is no place for him, really. In the last 18 months, the way he has performed, he has been the cricketer of the country. No doubt. But in whose place will he play? There is a problem of plenty,” Ashwin said on ‘ Ash ki Baat’.
Further, Ashwin asserted that having too many changes in the XI could hamper the team culture and spoil the team environment ahead of the mega event next year, adding that it could also cause insecurity among players.
“From the outside, we want to see many players in the team and talk about favoritism and a lot of other things. But it is not like that. The point is that the player will also have to keep that mentality to keep the environment of the team stuck together. If I remove Player A after two matches because Player X is doing very well and everyone wants him in, then I drop A and bring X in, and X does not perform, do I play A or X? Then both players will be disturbed, and they cannot perform well. Other players will also look at this and think it can happen to them,” he added.
The five-match ODI series commences on Wednesday, November 4 at Eden Park in Auckland.
