T20 World Cup 2021: India Needs To Open With Ishan Kishan And Rohit Sharma, Says Harbhajan Singh

Veteran India spinner Harbhajan Singh said that it’s high time that left-handed opener Ishan Kishan gets a game for Team India in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021. This comes after India lost their opening game of the tournament to Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday, October 24.

Pakistan handed India their first-ever loss by 10 wickets in T20Is as Shaheen Shah Afridi rattled the Indian batting after they were asked to bat first after Babar Azam won the toss. Rohit Sharma fell for a duck and KL Rahul for a single-digit score to Shaheen’s brilliance inside the first three overs.

India managed just 151/7 in 20 overs thanks to Virat Kohli’s 57 and Rishabh Pant’s 39. However, the Pakistani openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan added 152 unbeaten runs to give the Men in Green their first-ever victory in a T20 World Cup game over India after 5 straight losses.

Ishan Kishan Needs To Get A Game. He Should Open With Rohit Sharma: Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh felt that India missed someone aggressive at the top and Ishan Kishan fits the bill perfectly. Also, the fact that he is left-handed, gives him an added advantage when facing left-arm seamers, as India next faces New Zealand on October 31 who have Trent Boult in their ranks.

“I have been saying for a long time, it’s high time, Ishan Kishan needs to get a game. He should open with Rohit Sharma, Kohli comes in at No.3 and KL can bat at 4. This will be a very, very solid batting lineup till No.4,” said Harbhajan on India Today.

Furthermore, Harbhajan said that he will continue to pick Hardik Pandya in the XI if he is fit after being taken for scans as he was hit on his troublesome right shoulder which has kept him from bowling in the IPL 2021 and for India as well.

He said Suryakumar Yadav can play at No.5 and Rishabh Pant can go down to No.6 in that case. Harbhajan, however, said that Shardul Thakur has to play at No.8.

“At No.5, Rishabh Pant can come and at six, Hardik if he is available. If he is ok I would still playing because he is a match-winner for team India. If he is not fit then Suryakumar Yadav plays at No.5, Rishabh at six and (Ravindra) Jadeja at seven. At No.8, Shardul Thakur. He can bat, bowl and field, he has been performing really well. He just won a championship with CSK, riding high on confidence and we should look to utilize his confidence. Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy and Shami will be the next three,” he said.

Harbhajan signed off by saying though it was a tough defeat to swallow for the Indian team, it would not have much of an effect, and India being a strong team will make a strong comeback. India still has matches against New Zealand, Scotland, and Afghanistan coming up.

Also Read:T20 World Cup 2021: Mohammad Amir Takes A Cheeky Dig At Harbhajan Singh After Pakistan’s Win Over India