IND vs NZ: "Virat Kohli Can Demote Himself To Fit In Ishan Kishan": Sanjay Manjrekar

Ishan Kishan is likely to play in the middle order in the first ODI against New Zealand in Hyderabad on January 18. The southpaw scored his maiden ODI double ton in his last ODI innings before being benched from the OSI series against Sri Lanka.

The decision to bench Kishan brought in a lot of criticism from the management who were accused of not giving enough chances to players who are performing. Now with Shubman Gill performing at the top of the order, selectors are worried about fitting Kishan in the playing XI.

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Ishan Kishan Can Maintain The Left-Right Combination: Sanjay Manjrekar

Meanwhile, former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar seems to have an opinion about the same. Talking to Star Sports, Manjrekar opined that Virat Kohli should drop himself to number four to fit Ishan Kishan in the XI. He also gave an example of Kohli doing exactly the same thing to fit in Ambati Rayudu while India was busy searching for their number four before the 2019 ODI World Cup.

“It’s going to be still tricky. One guy is going to be really upset. I have got an idea to sort this mess out. Have Shubman Gill bat at No. 3, he seems like he can handle that position, and then Virat Kohli sacrifices his No. 3 for a No. 4,” Manjrekar said while speaking on Star Sports.

“He (Kohli) has done that before to Ambati Rayudu once, many years back against Sri Lanka. So that could be a way to sort it out. Ishan Kishan after his double hundred, left and right-handed combination at the top is not such a bad idea” he further added.

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Have Shubman Gill Bat At 3, Drop Virat Kohli At No 4: Sanjay Manjrekar

Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli both found form in the recently concluded ODI series against Sri Lanka. Kohli scored two centuries and ended up as the highest run-getter in the series with 283 runs from three matches. Gill finished as the second-highest run-getter with 2017 runs from three games. The former Indian skipper seems to have found his form hitting three ODI centuries in his last four innings.

The second and third ODI will be played in Raipur (January 21) and Indore (January 24). Both teams then play a three-match T20I series. The T20Is will be played in Ranchi (January 27), Lucknow (January 29), and Ahmedabad (February 1) respectively.

Also Read: IND vs NZ: 3 Indian Players Who Can Retire From T20Is After New Zealand Series

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