Former India wicketkeeper-batter and national selector, Saba Karim reckons that Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan are the ideal candidates to replace Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul in India's ODI squad for the upcoming 2023 Asia Cup and ODI World Cup. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to announce the senior men's squad for the upcoming continental competition, scheduled to begin on August 30.
The main reason behind the delay in squad announcement is that the decision-makers are waiting on concrete information on the injuries of Rahul and Iyer. Both the Indian batters have been away from cricket for some time now and spent a ton of time at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
Karim believes that in case Rahul and Iyer don't regain full fitness ahead of the Asia Cup then India might use the services of Kishan and Suryakumar.
"The selectors should take KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer into consideration — they can be included in the team if they are fit. But the wait has not ended, the team will be announced on the 20th from what I know, they have the time until then," Karim said on Jio Cinema.
"But if they are not fit, Ishan Kishan is a good option against Rahul since he can bat as an opener and in the middle-order.
"If Shreyas Iyer is not fit, you have 2-3 options to pick from, in Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav. But for me, Suryakumar has gained experience of playing one-day cricket both domestically and internationally. I will still back Suryakumar Yadav," he concluded.
Kishan scored three consecutive half-centuries for India during the three-match ODI series against West Indies. It is important to note that the left-handed batter did so while opening the batting. On the flip side, Suryakumar hasn't been able to make an impact in ODIs despite playing several matches. While the right-handed batter's T20I numbers are exceptional, his display in 50-over cricket has left plenty to be desired.
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