IND vs BAN: "Playing KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant Difficult..."- Saba Karim

Indian Cricket Team is all set to lock horns against Bangladesh for the 1st ODI on 04th December (Sunday). This ODI Series is not a part of the World Super League. The Men in Blue would be hoping that Rishabh Pant hits form as the wicket-keeper batter had a terrible New Zealand tour.

Bangladeshi Tigers would be looking to start afresh after their disappointing T20 WC where they couldn’t grab key moments. Last time in 2015, Bangladesh surprised everyone by winning an ODI Series against India. The team would be hoping to take a leaf out of that triumph.

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Saba Karim On KL Rahul

Former Selector Saba Karim was having an interaction with Sony Sports and was asked about KL Rahul. “I look at him more as an opening alternative to Dhawan and Rohit. He’s just a classy player. It’s just a matter of time when he can strike form. Having said that, I really don’t know at what number he will come in. If not as opener, do we use him in the middle order? If we do, can we give him a long rope there because there are so many other contenders there. This is something that needs to be settled as soon as possible by the captain and the team management.” said Saba Karim

“Playing all three (Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant) seems difficult. When you have Virat Kohli coming back in the mix. He will bat at No.3. Then suppose you put Shreyas Iyer at No.4 then you are left with only two spots. India is now looking to have that sixth bowling option from their top six. If that is the case then that leaves very little space for one more middle-order batter to come in.” stated Karim.

“I’ll look at Iyer because he has done very well in the New Zealand series as well. He should occupy the No.4 spot, then you are left with Rishabh Pant at No.5 and then you need to have one more bowling option at No.6.” he added.

Conundrum for Management

This ODI Series is considered to be the stepping stone for the next year’s World Cup. India has a powerful batting lineup where they can easily score 300+ runs on a given day. The Men in Blue would be aware of the New Zealand ODI Series where how the team fell like a pack of cards in the 3rd ODI.

Head Coach Rahul Dravid has a strenuous task on his hands as the team doesn’t have the services of Pandya for the tour as he could have filled the void of 6th bowler. The management should give a long rope to Washington Sundar as he had scored a half-century against New Zealand in the 3rd ODI when the team was in a tough situation.

Also Read: IND vs NZ: Salman Butt Surprised By Team India’s Decision To Promote Rishabh Pant Ahead Of Suryakumar Yadav In ODI Series