Ravi Shastri Wants Ishan Kishan To Bat At THIS Spot During Asia Cup 2023

Ishan Kishan was the top-scorer in the West Indies ODIs, scoring close to 200 runs from 3 games at an average above 60 and with strike rate of over 110.

Ishan Kishan. (Source: Twitter)

Asia Cup 2023 is very near. The tournament will kick off on August 30. India play Pakistan on September 2, which is a marquee contest of the competition. The Men in Blue will be looking to field their full-strength side in the competition, especially againt top-ranked sides like Pakistan and Sri Lanka. If head coach Ravi Shastri is to be believed, Ishan Kishan deserves a chance in the team, particularly in the top four to ensure there is a left-handed batter in the top four. Shastri says if needed, the likes of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli should make compromises to fit in Kishan in there.

Shastri made his point about the important of a quality left-handed batter by giving example of Shikhar Dhawan. Ex-India coach said that Dhawan does not get the credit he deserves. "...And a very important point is, I was coach at that time, and I keep saying that people don’t give the credit that Shikhar Dhawan deserves. I mean, that guy was an amazing player. You mention the World Cup in 2019 where we lost that semifinal, when we had a brilliant World Cup, he was the missing man there. You know, that made such a big difference – a left-hander at the top of the order, as opposed to three right-handers with the ball swinging away, which allowed teams to get a grip of where to bowl and bowl consistently," Shastri was speaking on Star Sports Show, who are the official TV broadcaster for Asia Cup 2023.

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Playing 15 World Cup 2023 @BCCI @ImRo45 @imVkohli pic.twitter.com/KkPx3tjryQ— Sunny Tiwari _ (@s_u_n_n_y_17) August 10, 2023

Shastri wants three left-handers in top 7

Shastri even said that India should look to play three left-handed batters in the top 7. He gave options in the form of Tilak Varma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan and Ravindra Jadeja to choose from. "There are two positions in the top seven where I feel two left-handers have to come in. This is where a selector's role comes in because they are watching, they know who is the guy who is hot. If Tilak Varma is hot, bring him in. If Jaiswal is hot, bring him in. But bring two in at the top, so if you are persistent with Ishan Kishan for the last 6-8 months and he’s going to keep wickets, then he comes in, in any case. But getting two left-handers in that top seven, including Jaddu, there should be three in that top seven."