IND vs SA: ‘Ishan Kishan is way Ahead of Ruturaj Gaikwad’, said Akash Chopra

When India’s first-choice openers for the ongoing five-match series against South Africa are unavailable, it’s a prime opportunity for the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan to stake a claim for the third opener slot, which becomes available if Rohit Sharma or KL Rahul is unavailable.

As a result of this series, the Indian selectors will be able to widen the pool of players to choose from and finalize the Indian squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which will be played later this year in Australia. They will likely select three openers and with the first two slots already occupied, the third spot is up for grabs.

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Akash Chopra On the 3rd Opener Spot

Aakash Chopra, a former India opener who is now a commentator, believes Ishan is well ahead of the pack, citing his performance in the first T20I when he smacked 76 off 48 balls with 11 fours and 3 sixes. While Ishan shone with a brilliant fifty, Gaikwad got off to a good start but couldn’t convert it into a large score, falling for 15-ball 23.

“Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad aren’t the first choice openers, so they are battling for third choice openers, Chopra said on his YouTube channel on Friday. “Ishan Kishan is way ahead of the competition at the moment. He started slow, but his intent was right. He was lucky, too, but he kept attacking consistently and was also not worried about his milestones. Even when he got out, Ishan had already scored plenty of runs.”

Positives For the Indian Team

All-rounder Hardik Pandya, who returns to the Indian team after a stellar IPL 2022, showed a lot of his former self with an undefeated 31runs off 12 balls with 2 fours and 3 sixes. Captain Rishabh Pant displayed his talent and attacking skills in the match by playing a good knock of 29 runs in 16 balls which included 2 fours and 2 sixes. Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, and Axar Patel looked good in the bowling department. The second T20I between IND VS SA will be played on 12 June at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.

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