Ravichandran Ashwin reckoned that India made the right choice in selecting Ishan Kishan over Sanju Samson in the ODI World Cup 2023 squad.
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Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin opined that there is no competition between Kishan and Samson as the former performs dual roles of a back-up wicket-keeper and opener.
"If you look at Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson, there is no competition between the two. What i mean is that Ishan Kishan fills many roles. When you pick up a 15-member squad, you need a backup wicketkeeper. For instance, you pick an extra wicketkeeper while naming Ranji Trophy squads. So, India need two wicketkeepers. Ishan Kishan is a back-up opener. He is a 2-in-1 player. He is your backup number 5 too. He is scoring runs there too," Ashwin said as quoted on his official YouTube channel.
Adding further, the veteran India off-spinner termed Kishan as a "team man."
"Another thing with Ishan Kishan that doesn't meet the eye is that he is an extraordinary team man. He gives positive vibes to the players in the XI," he mentioned.
Ishan Kishan's recent performance in ODIs
The wicket-keeper-batter has hammered four fifties on the trot in the ODI format. His good run started on the West Indies tour, where he scored centuries in all of the three ODIs. He backed that up with a game-changing 82-run knock against Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2023.
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Ishan Kishan or KL Rahul - Who will India pick
India have a match scheduled against Pakistan on September 10. They have a conundrum ahead of themselves. KL Rahul has joined the team in Colombo and is available for selection. Kishan, on the other hand, is running in red-hot form. It will interesting to see who of the two will make the India XI in the upcoming fixture.
