Will be a blunder to not play Ishan Kishan ahead of KL Rahul: Gautam Gambhir

Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir wants the Indian team management to back Ishan Kishan ahead of KL Rahul in the upcoming high-voltage Asia Cup Super 4s clash against. Notably, the southpaw has hit four back-to-back half-centuries in the ODI format and is in a rich vein of form. Gambhir believes that he is the ideal batter to have in the team at the moment.

Rahul, on the other hand, is expected to make his return after a long injury break. He is currently the first-choice stumper-batter in the national team and benching him ahead of the ODI World Cup may not prove to be ideal. However, Gambhir is convinced that Kishan is the right member for the team at the moment and if the think tank plans to drop him, it will be a “huge blunder”.

“India will make a huge blunder if they don’t play Ishan Kishan ahead of KL Rahul. The point is, when you’re gearing up to win the World Cup, you don’t see the name, you judge by their form. You choose the player who can perform and win you the World Cup. I feel Ishan Kishan has done everything he needs to do to be a frontrunner,” Gambhir explained in a chat with Star Sports.

Would KL Rahul replace Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli? No: Gautam Gambhir

The former cricketer mentioned that the think tank should not consider players based on their reputation or experience. He believes that they should look at form and Kishan currently is playing some brilliant cricket and has delivered under pressure. He also reminded that the team management would not have dropped Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli for Rahul and that should be the same for a youngster like Kishan.

“Just because he is Ishan Kishan and hasn’t played a lot of international cricket, you’re saying that KL Rahul should play before him. But if Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma were in place of Ishan Kishan, would KL Rahul be able to replace them? The answer is ‘no’,” Gambhir asserted.