Virat Kohli's absence has certainly given the Indian team management an evident headache for no.3 position ahead of the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, which kicks off on June 13 in Dharamsala. Meanwhile, India bowling coach Morne Morkel has made it clear that team management is looking to adopt a flexible approach for the no.3 batting position. Since Kohli has been ruled out of the outing due to hamstring injury, the team is prepared to rotate different players into the crucial top-order slot rather than sticking to a fixed replacement.
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We will play around KL, Kishan, Jaiswal: Morkel on India's no.3 spot
This tactical adjustments suggests that India will use the bilateral series to test their bench strength and experiment with various batting combinations. By keeping the number three spot dynamic, the coaching staff aims to give multiple players an opportunity to prove their mettle and build tactical adaptability ahead of upcoming international assignments.
When asked about who will fill the void at no.3 position in Virat Kohli's absence, Morkel, at the pre-match press conference, threw three names in KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ishan Kishan, who could be rotated as per the need.
“I think that’s something that in this series we’ll play around with, [whether] it’s Ishan (Kishan) or K.L. (Rahul) or Yashsasvi (Jaiswal). We have got a couple of one-day games coming up, and we’ll give guys an opportunity in different slots to give ourselves a better idea of how we can structure teams and have different options,” Morkel said.
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Over the last five years, Rahul has evolved into a highly dependable anchor for India's middle order, primarily operating at the number five position or lower. However, a notable shift during Friday's practice session suggests that the team management might be rethinking his role for the upcoming assignment. Instead of his usual routine, the Karnataka batsman was spotted taking outfield catches rather than keeping wickets.
Adding fuel to the speculation of a tactical reshuffle, dynamic left-hander Ishan Kishan was seen donning the wicket-keeping gloves and handling the drilling sessions behind the stumps. Because Rahul has served as India's designated wicket-keeper batsman in white-ball cricket for a considerable period, his transition to the outfield strongly indicates that he could be relieved of his keeping duties to receive a well-deserved promotion higher up the batting order.